Sempiternal
by WriteroftehStories
Summary: Konoha's only 'immortal', Kobayashi Shoko, has been released from her 15 year prison and asked to hunt down Uchiha Madara, who also happens to be her brother. OC centric Adven/Drama/Rom/Trag/Angst/Hum  -Canon with a kick-
1. One

Summary: Leaf's only immortal ninja, Kobayashi Shoko is released from her fifteen year prison and asked to hunt down Uchiha Madara, who happens to also be her brother-in-law.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Side Note: There's a picture of Shoko, her geta and her weapon in my profile if you would like to get an idea of her appearence. =)

* * *

**One**

_Memories_

_"Hiko."_

_"__Nani? That's a horrible name!" Uzumaki Kushina yelled before slapping a hand over her mouth. "Unless that's an ancestor's name?" She said sheepishly._

_Shoko snorted. She was lying beside a rather large Kushina, gazing at the clouds. It was one of those days again. Kushina couldn't make her mind up on a name for the little tike and so often they would have days like this. They would come out to the empty field behind the Nara Complex and watch the deer and think of names; Hundreds upon hundreds of baby names._

"_No. But I've already gone through all the good ones." She said with an exasperated sigh, "You had better pick a name for him soon, before he comes; otherwise I'm calling him 'Little Gaki' for the rest of his days."_

"_Him? Minato says the same thing. What makes you think it's a boy, eh?" Kushina asked, hoisting herself up on her elbows to glare suspiciously at Shoko. "Do you have some ability to see…inside of people?"_

_Shoko, who had her arm over her face, smirked. She heard a surprised gasp from Kushina before she snickered and shook her head. "No, but that would be…well actually it would be kinda gross."_

"_I think it would kind of cool."_

"_You would." Shoko mumbled. She didn't hear the usual indignant shriek or feel the usual, rather harsh punch in the arm from her goofy friend so she uncovered her eyes to glance over at her._

_Kushina was staring off into the tree line with an unreadable expression. Odd coming from a woman whose expressions were limited to a huge grin and an oblivious look._

"_Ano…Kushi-_

"_Wilyoubemychild'sgodmother?" Kushina blurted so quickly Shoko almost didn't understand. But she did. Shoko grinned._

"_I thought you were going to keep him as far away from me as possible. I thought I was trouble. I thought-_

"_Oh come on!" Kushina glared._

"_Of course I will." Shoko laughed, "Idiot." There was the usual indignant shriek and punch Shoko had been looking for. She smiled at the predictability and they soon began to bicker about whose hair was longer and who had prettier eyes. Who would look better pregnant, leaving Shoko a few more bruises for calling Kushina a fatass. _

_Though bruised and sore all over, Shoko wouldn't rather be anywhere else than here with Kushina, discussing random, insignificant things and going over baby names…for boys…because it was definitely going to be a boy._

Kobayashi Shoko opened her eyes. Just a dream…or memory. She wasn't in a grassy field, she was in the same spot, in the same position she had been in for the past several years.

She wondered just how many years it had been. Time was impossible to tell as far underground as she was. No one had come down this far in a few months at least and that had just been to make sure no water leaks had rusted the locks on her shackles. Even then, no words were spoken.

No one ever spoke. She often spoke to herself to remember just how to do it. She would speak to the rats but not even they came this far down.

She wasn't hungry anymore, though the first few weeks of starvation were some of the most painful weeks of her life.

Kushina wasn't alive. Her friend had died sealing the Kyuubi into her child. Into Shoko's Godchild, only two days before Shoko had been imprisoned. Minato was dead as well. His death was the reason she had allowed them to take her. For just a moment, she had no will to go on and that small moment in time was all Danzō and The Elders needed to throw her in here.

She hadn't been thinking of the child when she let herself be cuffed and dragged beneath the Interrogation HQ. She hadn't even heard what name they had chosen. Leave it to Kushina to wait until the very last minute. Literally. Was it a boy or a girl?

Eh, it was a boy, definitely.

It had been cold the day she was chained down here. Perhaps it still was. She didn't know anymore.

She wondered what the world was like above ground now. Was Hiruzen still Hokage? How had the war ended? Was the boy okay? Did he even know who she was? Did anyone?

Perhaps the old man had forbidden her name to be spoken. He would if Danzō had asked it of him. She already knew that was why no one had been down in the cage to speak to her. Hiruzen had been badgered during her 'hearing' and ultimately decided to keep access to the underground chambers strictly among The Hokage, The Elders and Danzō. For a while Danzō had come down, mainly to mock her but after a while, even he had grown tired of her silence and his visits became less and less.

And Orochimaru, her protégé. The boy she took under her wing, taught everything to. The man she shared a lab with. She worried for him. For months before the attack Orochimaru had been avoiding her. They had argument after petty argument and Shoko couldn't, for the life of her, remember why. She remembered confronting him and asking him, pleading with him to tell her what was going on. Why he had been acting to secretive but he only grew angry at her.

"_You hear what they say about us!" Shoko screamed at him, pointing behind herself, "Why are they saying these things?" For the last couple of months Shoko had noticed the dirty looks, the whispers. She had heard what the civilians were saying. An enemy ninja had gone missing from the Interrogation Ward and somehow the idea of Orochimaru and Shoko taking him and using him for brutal experiments had found its way into their gossip circles. _

_He just smirked at her. "Orochimaru! What are you keeping from me? Please." She reached for his arm but he turned and grabbed a stack of scrolls from the table he had been working at. Anko had been quietly standing at the end of the room, tapping on the glass of a snake cage. She turned and glanced between the two._

"_Let them talk." He said casually._

"_Nani? I don't care what they say. Do you understand me? I'm worried about _you_. Are you- are you harming people?" _

"_Now why would I do that, _Sensei_?"_

_She closed her eyes, "Don't you start this. Don't start talking to me like I'm Hiruzen. Don't blow me off like this! I understand y-_

"_You do not." Orochimaru interrupted. He turned and began walking down the dark hall of the lab. She grabbed Anko's hand and hurried to catch up._

"_I do understand. It's because of the jutsu isn't it? Because I refused to teach you how to cheat time…"_

_He stopped and turned to glare at her. Shoko felt Anko shiver at her master's cold stare but Shoko stood her ground, not about to let her own student intimidate her. "Isn't it?"_

_He let his glare linger a moment longer before smiling at her. "I admit to nothing."_

_Anger flashed behind her eyes and she raised a hand to slap him but stopped herself, her hand dropping back to her side. She couldn't bring herself to lay a hand on her student._

"_Stop this." She hissed at him. "Whatever it is you're doing behind my back, stop. Hiruzen is getting suspicious and if he catches you he'll have you killed." Then she vanished._

That was only days before the Kyuubi attack. She knew he hadn't listened to her. He was stubborn and she knew he would do anything to get what he wanted.

Shoko sighed and coughed a few times before glancing over at the steady stream of water flowing from the roof of the cave like cage for the next few hours until she could once again fall asleep.

* * *

**Shoko's profile page is in my profile so if you're wondering what she looks like you can go there, since it's a little early in the story and there wasn't a good place to share it. Contains spoilers past Ch 1.**

**Also, this story is a long one. I've already finished with several chapters but I'm nowhere near finished. So far I'm about 60k words in so don't start reading if you're looking for a one-shot! =P**

**R&R Pretty Please!**


	2. Two

**Two**

_Who's alive?_

"Are you sure?" Tsunade asked. "There's no way he could have been mistaken? I mean, it's been-what, almost a century?"

"He's positive. Uchiha Madara is alive. My informant couldn't tell me much, only that he's planning something big. Something that could mean the end, as we know it, for the ninja world."

"But he died in the battle Jiraiya. My grandfather killed the bastard and even if he didn't, Madara would be over 100 years old by now! How much harm could he do?"

Jiraiya gave her a pointed look. "Somehow he's found a way to survive time. It's not impossible Tsunade. There are immortal ninjas. You knew one once."

"Yes." She sighed. "I know it's possible. I also know that if Uchiha Madara is lurking around then were going to have to bring out our own immortal. Since you so conveniently brought her up, maybe you can stick around while I convince the Elders to let me release her. We'll need an immortal to take out an immortal. Especially one who knows him personally, don't you think?"

Jiraiya furrowed his brows as he looked out the window of the Hokage's office, over the village. The village that could very well be in more danger than they could handle. But were they desperate enough to bring her out? He sighed, "Are you sure you want to get her involved? I know how you feel about he-

"It doesn't matter how I feel about her Jiraiya." She cut him off shortly. "If she can stop Madara before he can even get started then it'll be worth the trouble. And I would have thought you would be jumping up and down like a little girl at the thought of_ her_ getting involved." She finished with a wry smile and a raised brow.

"That was a long time ago, and you know very well that you're my one and only true love." He pouted.

She chuckled and shook her head. "Shizune!"

Shizune stumbled through the door with an arm full of paperwork. "Hai, Tsunade-sama?"

"I need you to make time next week for a meeting with the Elders." She said as she began searching for a prisoner release form. "You may as well call in Danzō since I'm sure he'll want his say. Not that it'll matter much." She added with a roll of her eyes.

This was serious. If Madara was the one behind the mess that had been going on with the tailed beasts…if he had anything to do with Akatsuki then they were in more trouble than she had originally thought.

Now that she was being informed of his existence, Tsunade was starting to realize just how much he had probably had a hand in. A lot more things were starting to make sense that was for sure.

She would hunt him down herself and finish her grandfather's battle if she wasn't stuck in the village. The most obvious choice was the one person who actually knew him as well as someone who would be just as tough to kill. It just so happened that this immortal ninja had been imprisoned 15 years ago for the crimes of Orochimaru, or at least for assisting in them. She was in the lowest pits of the Interrogation HQ, sealed into a cage made especially by The Third and from what Tsunade had heard years ago, was being starved in order to keep her in a weakened state. Of course, starvation wouldn't kill her since she was immortal but it couldn't be delightful either.

Tsunade felt a pang of guilt for what was going on with Shoko. They had never been the best of friends but Shoko was once like a mentor to her, long ago. It was true but Shoko had killed Leaf-nin or had been accused of it, and The Elders had picked the perfect time to perform the trial. Two days after Minato's death, so he couldn't defend her. Maybe she was innocent in the brutal experiments, maybe not but Tsunade knew one thing, she intentionally took away all of the heat from Orochimaru who Tsunade knew now was a complete monster. She had committed crimes against the village in that sense and for that very reason, Tsunade lacked sympathy for her.

* * *

"This must be a joke." Koharu said, not hiding her disgust at the prospect of setting free a high profile traitor and murderer. "I will never agree to releasing that demon."

"That's fine, because I wasn't asking for your permission." Tsunade said as she massaged her temples. She felt a headache coming. It had been three days of the same arguments. She knew none of them would go for this but she was Hokage and she was going to do things her way for once. If it failed then they could blame her.

"What makes you think she will even help?" Homura asked. "-or even can for that matter? She has been deprived of nourishment for 15 years where as Madara would have been thriving and only getting stronger. Even if we used Shoko, it would only end in embarrassment for us."

"She'll be fine." Tsunade said. "I'll heal her myself. I don't know much about her immortality but I do know her and the mere mention of Madara's name will have her recovering in no time. There's a reason she was a Yogo-Sha (Guardian). She's durable, if nothing else."

"'Nothing else' is correct. She will do more damage than good. She cares for nothing but herself and-

"That's not true." Jiraiya cut in. Tsunade was a little relieved to know he was actually there since he had yet to say a word. "She cares more for this village than you think."

Koharu scoffed, "I suppose you're going to try and tell us she was innocent of her crimes then? Unlawful experimentation and _murdering_ her own. It takes a special kind of monster to use children and other ninja for her own experiments. I was there during the trial, she denied nothing."

"Iie, I won't say she's innocent of her crimes but Tsunade is right, we need her for one purpose and one purpose only and that just so happens to be something she'll be more than willing to do."

"How do you know she's willing to kill Madara? He is, after all, the only person she has left from her past. Two immortals. They can relate. What if they decide to work together? It wouldn't be surprising if she turned against us after having been imprisoned by us." Koharu said.

"Of course she's willing to kill him! He murdered her husband. She spent a decade hunting him down after only hearing a tale of his survival against the First." Tsunade said.

"I refuse to allow that savage to be set free." Danzō said as he burst through the doors. "She will wreak havoc on the Leaf Village. If Madara is truly alive then we should take our chances with fighting him ourselves."

"Foolish." Tsunade stated.

"Foolish?" Danzō asked incredulous. "What's foolish, Hime is that you seem to have convinced yourself that Kobayashi Shoko is an ally, if not to the village, then to you." He said. "You, who has not once even asked about her as she sat in the lowest pits of Hell, wasting away and suffering pain only fit for the most despicable of criminals, for the last 15 years. Hime, you must know, if anything the woman will come after you the moment she is free."

The door burst open and Tsunade suppressed the urge to yell at the blonde haired idiot that had the balls to barge in on a meeting between her and the Elders.

"Is it true Ba-chan? Uchiha Madara is alive?" Naruto asked loudly as he skidded to a halt in the middle of the room, followed closely by Kakashi, Sakura, Sai and a frantic looking Shizune who was stammering apologies left and right for the interruption.

"Naruto." Kakashi said with a sigh. "What did I just say about patience?"

"Yes Naruto." Tsunade said, surprising everyone. "He needs to know. If Madara is somehow working with the Akatsuki and behind the plans for the tailed-beasts then Naruto has the right to know. Team Kakashi needs to know."

Jiraiya smiled slightly at Naruto's timing and inwardly thanked Gamakichi for his big mouth. This way, Jiraiya wouldn't have to be the one stuck with the job of informing him what was going on. Naruto could just sit in on the meeting and Jiraiya would be spared the impossible task of explaining things to him.

"And as for exactly how Shoko herself feels towards me or the village, perhaps we should just ask her ourselves?" Tsunade said simply.

Kakashi blinked. Did she say Shoko? She couldn't possibly be talking about the immortal ex-Yoga-Sha who had been imprisoned underground for the last decade and a half. Leaf's only immortal ninja, though she wasn't technically a Leaf-nin anymore she was at one point and had, in fact, been one of the founders of the village.

"Kakashi, go and fetch her for us." Tsunade said. Kakashi stared at her but before he could open his mouth she spoke. "Yes, I'm serious. There will be ANBU guards to escort her with you. Go, I'm granting you permission to enter the area. Here." She said handing Kakashi a letter sealed with the official Hokage seal. Apparently she had been planning this. "Jiraiya go with him. I want to know how she's been dealt with for the last 15 years. Report her situation back to me." He nodded and after two poofs they were gone from the room.

* * *

They walked slowly down a hall in the Interrogation HQ, underneath the Hokage's tower, behind an ANBU guard who looked like he could think of a million different things he would rather be doing at the moment than unlocking the cell of a high profile killing machine.

The Interrogation HQ was depressing in and of itself. It was cold and dark with stone walls and only got colder and darker the deeper down they went. It was medieval and certainly had a way of making you forget just what time period you were living in when you walked through the doors.

Rats ran past them but the guard took no notice. Perhaps he even knew them. Kakashi had been to the Interrogation HQ numerous times but even he never had clearance to be this far down.

Just when both Jiraiya and Kakashi were thinking they were minutes from hitting the center of the Earth, the guard stopped and Kakashi looked up from the rat that seemed to have been following them for the last few levels now and saw four of Tsunade's personal ANBU. They stood in front of a rather large room that looked like it could be a cell with no bars but Kakashi knew there was no need for bars when locking up an ex Hokage Guardian. It might look like there was nothing between them but Kakashi could feel the pressure of the barriers separating the seven of them and the ninja inside.


	3. Three Pt1

**Three Pt1**

_Family_

"Kobayashi Shoko." Came a voice. A voice. Well that was new.

She opened her eyes and raised an elegant brow at the guard standing before her cell before she glanced over to see two familiar faces.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't little Hatake Kakashi." She said in a hoarse voice from lack of use and starvation.

He cleared his throat. This wasn't the Shoko he remembered. His sensei's best friend and loyal companion. This woman made him nervous. Perhaps it was the impression she had on him when he was a child or the malicious aura that surrounded her even now as she was barely even aware of the world around her. Either way he wasn't going to show it. She was a criminal, like all the others and that was how he would see her. Though the fact that she was small and childlike only scared him more.

Jiraiya looked her over. Her wrists were shackled and chained from the ceiling while her ankles were chained to the wall behind her, keeping her in a constant standing position. Besides the wrist and ankle shackles, there was a chain around her too thin waist that was bolted to the floor in 4 different places and she had several seals placed on her arms and neck. She wore a plain white yukata and no shoes. Her waist length mahogany hair was just as he remembered, albeit a bit unkempt. She looked exactly the same as she did 15 years ago with the exception of her weak posture. Like a magnificent painting locked away to gather dust. Despite having been in here for all this time, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd yet to come across in all his travels.

She stared at Jiraiya with her mismatched, brown and pale blue eyes, as if waiting for him to say something. What could he say? He was speechless. For 15 years Shoko had been stashed away and deprived of food and water, marked up with enough seals to drain the Kyuubi of chakra and no one was ever allowed to visit her or even speak her name. She had been alone and in pain and forgotten by many people and she wasn't even guilty of her crime. Well, she was guilty of allowing a killer to roam free but she had no part in Orochimaru's experiments. He believed that completely.

"Have you come to ask something of me or to stare at the 'demon' in her cage?" She asked bitterly.

"We're here under the orders of the Hokage. She requests your presence." Kakashi said evenly.

"'She'?" She repeated questioningly.

"After the Third died, we gained a new Hokage." Jiraiya said, finally finding his voice. He realized Shoko was way behind on the times. The last she knew Minato had just died, Hiruzen had become Hokage and they were in the midst of war.

"A Fifth…it's only been a few years and this village has already seen three different Hokage." She stated. "How disappointing."

"Enough slander out of you. Save the rest for when you're in front of the Elders, Traitor." The guard said as he unsealed the outer barriers of her cell. She narrowed her eyes at him and he fumbled in his hand signs before quickly recovering, hoping no one saw just how scary he thought this ninja was.

There were four ANBU waiting to escort her, as well as Jiraiya and Kakashi and perhaps even the guard but surly they knew that once the barriers were gone, she had a good chance of escape, despite her handicap. She wasn't labeled the fastest ninja in Fire Country for nothing.

Still, she would stick around. She might have a chance but if she was able to eat or even get a few seals off her arms then there was a guarantee of escape. There was that, and the fact that she was curious to know why the Hokage wanted to see her.

"If you so much as move while he releases the chains, Shoko, these ANBU are under orders to kill you." Jiraiya warned. "Just stand still like a good girl and we'll be out of this Hell hole in no time." He smiled at her in an attempt to ease the tension that was mostly coming from the guard who had entered her cell and was fumbling with his keys while she gazed intensely at him. Jiraiya had a feeling she was only doing it to make the poor man nervous but he didn't say anything. Didn't seem wrong to let her have a little fun.

* * *

"Enter." Came the feminine voice from the other side of the door.

Shizune opened the door and walked in followed by the guard from earlier, Jiraiya, Kakashi and then Shoko who was still very much shackled and surrounded by four of Tsunade's ANBU.

The sight was almost humorous. Shoko, being as small as she was and surrounded by huge ANBU just about made Tsunade laugh out loud, but she opted for a more professional behavior and kept a calm façade. She knew Shoko might look harmless but she was well aware of how deadly this particular shinobi was.

Naruto on the other hand, stared wide-eyed at the prisoner until Sakura elbowed him in the ribs. She was beautiful. Her dark reddish brown hair was long and her eyes were two different colors. She looked to only be a little older than him but he knew from what Sakura had told him that she was immortal and had been around even longer than the village.

If he had known how pretty she was he probably would have paid more attention in the academy when they were taught about her and the other two Hokage Guardians.

Shoko didn't even spare a glance at the new Hokage or the Elders, Danzō or even the children in the room.

Her feet moved of their own accord as she stumbled away from the ANBU and towards the huge window she was staring out of and the village beyond.

The ANBU moved to grab her but Tsunade quickly held up a hand to halt them then waved them away in a silent dismissal which all four reluctantly agreed before vanishing only to stand right outside the door in case they were needed.

Shoko hadn't even gotten a glimpse of the village in all the time she had been locked up. It pulled at Tsunade's heart strings to see the look of wonder on Shoko's seemingly innocent face as she gazed at the very village she helped build. The very village that had locked her up for years.

Shoko felt like sobbing as all the memories came flooding back. Eighty something years' worth of memories that she had refused to think about while underground. Crying would feel so damn wonderful right then but she held her emotions back. She would never show these people how much they had affected her.

"You're here to service the Hokage, not sightsee." Came an annoyingly familiar voice from behind her. She turned with every intention of glaring when her eyes landed on Tsunade.

"Hokage eh?" She said with a slight smile. At least it wasn't Jiraiya.

Tsunade smirked at her, she knew what Shoko was thinking. 'At least it wasn't Jiraiya.'

"How long?" She asked.

Tsunade sighed, knowing what she meant. "15 years."

For just a moment Shoko showed a little surprise before righting her face into her usual indifference. She had no idea it had been so long. It wasn't like she could tell by looking at Tsunade who really could just choose what age she wanted to be when she woke up every morning. Koharu and Homura had looked the same for the last thirty years and Danzō...was wrapped in bandages that he had obtained sometime during her stay underground which she only knew from the few times he had come around to sneer at her. Jiraiya always looked good for his age. Kakashi...maybe she could tell something if he had less clothing on his face.

"And what can I do for you?" Shoko asked as she leaned heavily against the wall, followed by the clatter of heavy chains shackling her wrists and ankles. Tsunade, Sakura and even Shizune had to suppress the urge to approach her. The medic in them couldn't stand to watch someone so uncomfortable, whether Shoko wanted to show it or not.

"We've recently been informed of the existence of a ninja whom we thought long dead, Shoko. His existence could be a threat not only to the Leaf...to all ninja." Tsunade said hesitantly.

"So he is alive." Shoko muttered as she turned her gaze back toward the window. "And you thought to use an immortal against an immortal…"She turned back to Tsunade. "Right?" Tsunade nodded once. "Tsunade, just beca-

"Hokage-sama." Danzō corrected sharply. Shoko fixed him with a glare.

"I'm trying my damnedest to ignore that fact that I'm in the same room as you. For _your_ sake." She said to him. He only raised an amused brow but Shoko knew he was putting on a show. Everything about this man was a damned show. He was fake and she was determined to oust him, just as soon as she figured him out herself. "You thought I was never going to get out, didn't you? I bet you're regretting every visit you paid me now, aren't you?" She laughed low and soft and extra menacing, sending shivers through spines all around. She didn't dare advance though. Besides the fact that it wasn't worth giving up her comfortable leaning position, one step and the four ANBU outside would be there in an instant.

Danzō smiled at her. He wanted her to do something stupid, she knew it. Tsunade must have made the decision by herself to bring Shoko here. There was no way Danzō or either Elder would agree to it.

"Mah, Mah." Jiraiya said. "Tsunade is only asking you. You can accept the mission or you can-

"Go back to prison." She finished as she turned to him. "Even if I could kill Madara…" She paused. Saying his name made her feel odd. It was something she hadn't said in a very long time. She cleared her throat and began again, "Even if I could kill him, where would that leave me, hm? What do I get out of it?"

Koharu stood up in outrage. "You get the satisfaction in knowing you've done a good deed for your village, for once!"

"For once?" This woman was an absolute sufferance to be around. And she was such a sweet little girl too. "I have done everything for this village and its forever ungrateful inhabitants. I helped build the very prison I was sealed into. I helped teach _you_ how to be a better ninja. I assisted in keeping alive two of its Hokage and continued serving two more before I was thrown out like yesterday's trash and I fought mercilessly in more battles than I can count while wearing the Leaf symbol." She paused. "And I will kill Uchiha Madara. But I won't do it for you and I won't serve this village." Koharu glared at her. "Yeah, you heard me. I will never again serve this village. This village isn't my village." This village was a mere shell of what it had been. She looked out the window once more, relishing in the silence that followed her outburst.

"And after you've completed the mission, you will be set free." Tsunade added quickly. Koharu gasped and Danzō opened his mouth to say something when Shoko laughed, still turned away from the rest of the room and towards the village outside. Everyone turned to look at her.

"Silly girl," She tilted her head to address Tsunade. "You set me free the moment the guard released me from those barriers."

Tsunade smirked back, "That's what you think." Shoko followed Tsunade's gaze to the window seal which was marked with the same seals used for her barriers in the prison. She hadn't seen them because she was so caught up with the view. She glanced at the door and saw the same seals directly above it. Her previous smile disappeared. It was a good thing she warned her before Shoko actually attempted to leap out the window. She would have fried like an egg if she made contact with them.

"Freedom sounds like a good bargain." Shoko said looking smugly at Danzō. "When do I get started on this 'mission'?"

"Um, ba-chan?" Naruto spoke up. "Why are we still here if-

"Team Kakashi will be sent on this mission as well, Naruto. We can't very well allow Shoko to leave the village alone." Tsunade interrupted.

"Naruto…" Shoko said thoughtfully. Naruto turned to the woman. Wasn't 'Naruto' a name Minato picked while flipping through Jiraiya's book? Yes, she distinctly remembered that conversation. Kushina and snatched the book and beat him with it after she read the first paragraph. Naruto.

Now that she was actually paying attention to the people in the room, she realized that this boy was the spitting image of Minato. And now that she had heard his name…was this…

"Who's your father?"

Naruto's face fell slightly. "I don't know. My father died a long time ago."

Shoko clutched her chest, showing an actual emotion for the first time in a long time that wasn't anger or wariness. It was longing and maybe a spark of hope. She tried to turn her gaze to something else, someone else, anything but she couldn't. This was Minato and Kushina's son. There was no question, but why didn't he know who his father was?

"This is Uzumaki Naruto, Sho." Tsunade cut in. She had seen the realization on Shoko's face and couldn't let her mention Minato. And this," Tsunade pointed to Sakura and Sai. "Is Haruno Sakura and Sai. You already know Kakashi. We'll meet tomorrow evening to get everyone on the same page with the situation and I'll catch you up on as much as possible."

Shoko tore her gaze away from Naruto to stare at Tsunade. She knew what Tsunade was doing and she would go with it, for now. She was out now and Naruto would be around when she was done here. She had other questions anyway. "Orochimaru?"

Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya then looked at the floor. Shoko turned to Jiraiya, looking for an answer.

"He was charged with unlawful experimentations and fled the village. Seems he was following in his favorite mentor's footsteps." Danzō said.

Shoko ignored him. Of course this had happened. She had gone to prison, in the first place, because she had pled guilty to his crimes to protect him. She was in complete denial that her student had been experimenting on people and only hoped it was all meaningless accusations. Coming to the acceptance that Orochimaru had indeed been meddling in the darker arts a little too late. She only hoped that he had stopped when she was sentenced but apparently he had only gotten worse.

Tsunade brought her out of her thoughts, "You won't be leaving on the mission until I give you a clean bill of health. But from now on, you're free to go where you choose as long as you're within the Village." She held her hand up before Kahuna could protest. "I have a special seal which I'll put on you myself after we remove these." She said gesturing to Shoko's chakra suppressing seals."

"You're just going to let her run free with no leash?" Danzō asked.

"If she goes farther than the seal allows then she'll become…extremely uncomfortable." Tsunade said with…was that a smirk? "If she somehow finds a way to remove it then I'll know and every ANBU available will be on her like glue, so yes. And what do you expect Danzō? We have to trust her to some degree. We're sending her out on a mission with a team at the weeks end." She looked at the guard who was in charge of her sealing and he walked over to Shoko. She stood stock still while the guard went through several series of hand signs.

One by one all of her seals, save for her own two, vanished. One being in connection with her immortality jutsu. It was in the shape of a yin tomoe without the yang and encircled by sealing kanji, on the right side of her throat about half an inch from a huge scar that ran from her right temple, down her neck and stopped at her collarbone. There was no telling if she had others since the white yukata left everything to the imagination.

The guard made a few more hand signs and with the last her shackles creaked open and fell to the floor.

A powerful current of chakra flooded the room before she could adjust and suppress it. The spike sent Sakura stumbling back. It wasn't an extreme access of powerful chakra like, say Naruto's. Instead of getting a headache from the immense, blunt pressure that a ninja with large amounts would cause, it stung to be hit by it. Like being pierced by a sword rather than hit with a bat. It was more concentrated...faster...sharp. Sakura noticed that Shizune was forced to put a hand on the side of the desk to steady herself.

"Gomen." Shoko said to Sakura, sheepishly. She walked to her and offered her a hand up. Sakura blinked at her and hesitantly took her hand. She was such a harmless looking woman, if you ignored the malicious smirk she kept passing Danzō; Sakura almost forgot that she was one of the most dangerous ninja the Leaf had ever known. "It's been a while since I …well…it's been a while since I had to do anything other than watch mold grow." She flashed Sakura a quick smile.

Tsunade walked to Shoko and made a few hand signs before brushing her finger over her left wrist, leaving a small tracking seal on the underside of it. "Oh, and I thought you might like these back." she said and gestured to her desk where Shoko's tekko-kagi blades and her staff were as well as her clothes, geta clogs and the few other belongings she'd had on her person when arrested only these clothes and weapons had been cleaned of the blood and more than likely guts she'd obtained during the battle that very night. "You're lucky. Your house was one of the few that weren't destroyed when..." She coughed awkwardly. "Well when Sound attacked. It's still there and it's still yours."

She walked to the desk and brushed her hands over the blades of her tekko-kagis and closed her eyes. She never imagined she would be touching these again. "This is…more than I could ask of you, Tsunade." That was as close to a 'thank you' anyone was going to get from her.

Tsunade beamed at her. "That's not all. Here." She tossed a large silver ring to Shoko who easily caught it. She didn't need to open her hand to see what it was. It wasn't just any ring. It was Uchiha Izuna's wedding ring. Uchiha Izuna: Her dead husband and Uchiha Madara's brother. She suppressed the hundreds of memories that wanted to come flooding back and smirked at Tsunade, "I'm surprised you didn't pawn this." She often joked when things got mushy or overly sentimental. Tsunade just glared half-heartedly. "Well if we're done here…got my 'leash', my clothes, my killin things..." Shoko trailed off, her face turning back towards the window. She had many more questions but she could ask them later, when Danzō wasn't around.

Tsunade waved a hand in dismissal. "Hai, you're dismissed." She hadn't asked for a place to stay but Tsunade figured if Shoko wanted one she would have requested one. She knew she was in a hurry to get away from Danzō and would probably be back when he was nowhere near the building.

The moment the words left Tsunade's lips, Shoko seemed to have vanished from her spot, every trace of her was gone. No puff of smoke, no hand signs, no noise. She just…vanished.

Danzō stood and, with the company of both Elders, stormed out the door, followed far behind by the guard. Only Tsunade, Jiraiya and Team Kakashi remained.


	4. Three Pt2

**Three Pt2**

_History Lesson_

"She's fast…I mean, she was just there and then…NOT!" Naruto said in awe.

"She wasn't The Jinsoku for nothing, Naruto." Sakura said with a roll of her eyes.

"Jinsoku?" Naruto asked, thoroughly confused. Everyone turned to stare at him. Did he miss the whole history lesson on Konoha?

"Yes, she was The Jinsoku of the Three Hokage Guardians or the Yogo-Sha." Tsunade informed him. Then decided she may as well give him a short history lesson so that he knew who he would be dealing with. "Seventy-five years ago the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan founded this village. You know the basic history right?" She asked, hopefully. The kid wanted to be the Hokage; he had better know something. He nodded his head vigorously. "Well...Shoko was one of the first settlers.

Before the village was founded, she was taken in as a baby by Uchiha Rido, who at the time was the Patriarch of the Uchiha clan."

"Wait a second...I though Uchiha Madara was the original patriarch." Sakura butted in. She was one hundred percent sure that Iruka-sensei had said that as well as the history books.

"Hai. Madara was the head of the Uchiha clan by the time the truce was signed and the village founded." Kakashi chimed in from over his book. He had been on the same page for a while now. He remembered a time when Obito and he used to beg Shoko to tell them stories of her past. She only ever told them battle stories though. She had never mentioned childhood stories. When it came to her personal past, Shoko had always been less than sharing.

"Rido was Madara and Izuna's father. He was also the murderer of Shoko's entire clan. Not much is in the history books about it but when I was a little girl she used to tell me stories over pocky when I would catch her breaking into the bakery." Tsunade laughed a little at the memory. "She told me that, though Rido had spared her and raised her as his own, he still very much despised her clan. He did...things to insure she was never able to use her clan's kekkei genkai as well as to insure the Kobayashi clan died with Shoko.

When she got older she began experimenting with jutsu, searching for a way to cheat time. Immortality. I don't know how the jutsu works or even why she strove to become immortal. I doubt anyone does, actually. And I doubt anyone ever will.

Many years later, when she turned seventeen, she was wed to Uchiha Izuna. The same year she perfected her immortality jutsu and the same year Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama made a truce and founded the village.

From the moment the Shodai was chosen there were 'Yogo-Sha'; bodyguards for the Hokage. Always three. The first and more than likely the leader, was called The Kashikoi, the most cunning of the village. The second was The Tsuyoi, the strongest. The third was The Jinsoku, the quickest. The elite of their kind. During the use of the Yogo-Sha, both the Tsuyoi and Kashikoi were replaced twice.

Shoko, being immortal and having yet to be surpassed in speed by anyone in the village, remained The Jinsoku until the Yogo-Sha were no longer used, having been replaced by special ANBU teams handpicked by the Hokage. I'm not sure why the Third chose not to use them. He had made that decision, soon after he'd been chosen for Hokage and never offered a reason."

"Okay, well then why was she in prison?" Naruto asked. Tsunade sighed and debated whether she should just scrounge out a history book for the kid.

"When Orochimaru was just a genin, Shoko had taken an interest in him," Jiraiya began. Naruto scowled at that. How could anyone find him interesting? "She offered to take him under her wing while he wasn't training." Jiraiya glanced over at Tsunade who had become quiet at the mention of their old teammate. He sighed. "They spent a lot of time in the labs and she taught him everything, or…most of what she knew. He got greedy though so The Third…our sensei, went to Shoko and voiced his concern with her, hoping that if he couldn't make Orochimaru see sense then she could. She ignored him though, or perhaps she confronted Orochimaru. Either way, rumors began and claims were made.

Almost a month after Minato became Hokage, The Elders tried to have them both arrested and tried for unlawful experimentations but Minato denied their requests because he trusted Shoko. They were extremely close and I don't think anything would have made him doubt her.

Soon after, the Kyuubi attacked. Shoko and Orochimaru's only immunity left with the death of the Fourth. The very night the Fourth was kill, they were both arrested. Sarutobi Hiruzen was voted back as Hokage and just two days after the attack, Orochimaru and Shoko were tried for the experiments. Shoko ultimately pled guilty, threading some story about keeping Orochimaru in the dark while she did all the horrible things that they pinned on her, when really, it was the other way around. She was thrown in the pits while Orochimaru walked. Once she was gone, he took a turn for the worst, realizing he would never get the immortality jutsu and I suppose the presence of Shoko had made it difficult to do…what he did. With her gone he became less discreet and only a few months later The Third confronted him in the labs. That was when he defected."

"Wow, so if she hadn't taken the blame then…

"Sasuke would still be here…" Naruto said, cutting Sakura off. Everyone looked at him once again in bewilderment. When did he get so perceptive?

"No Naruto," Jiraiya said sternly. "At any time during that trial either one of them could have easily escaped, including Orochimaru. He would still have sought Sasuke out and Sasuke would still have left. Shoko was only doing what she thought was right."

"How do you know she wasn't involved?" Sai asked. Tsunade looked at him, he had probably known all about Shoko. Danzō would have made sure to instill in them that she was an enemy of the village.

"Shoko never really strove to…learn all she could. She was sort of the lazy, I guess. The only reason she knows as much as she does is because it was all picked up from her long life. She didn't have the same goals as Orochimaru. Shoko was more knowledge seeking than power seeking. Curious to how things that interested her worked. Her immortality jutsu had already been completed a long time ago and she had never been suspected of delving into the dark arts to keep the jutsu going or for anything else." Tsunade told him.

"Shoko had mentioned to Minato that Orochimaru had been avoiding her, only a couple months before the attack but they had assumed it was because she had refused to teach him her immortality jutsu." Kakashi said.

Jiraiya sighed, "It was essentially the same with The Third. When the time came to kill him, he couldn't bring himself to do it, just as Shoko couldn't let him go to prison."

"Well when they realized she was innocent why didn't they let her out?" Naruto asked.

"I was wondering the same thing." Sakura added, thoughtful. "They didn't just let her sit in prison for fifteen years because she covered for Orochimaru when she really didn't know he was bad in the first place…did they?"

Tsunade suddenly looked slightly ashamed. "The Elder's-

Sai cleared his throat. Tsunade looked at him, questioningly but he didn't say anything. Oh right, he wasn't able to say anything about Danzō. "Heh, I should have known it was mostly Danzō's doing that kept her in there." Tsunade said with a shake of her head. "From the moment she was thrown in there, there was no clearance to enter that far past the Interrogation HQ. Not even Jiraiya or I could see her. Her name wasn't to be spoken and no one was ever allowed to ask about her. I don't know why The Third kept her in there or why Danzō would have wanted him to."

"That answers about 12 years' worth of my question. What about the three years you've been sitting behind that desk?" Naruto asked her. He was angry that an innocent person had been treated so badly. Not just an innocent person but someone who had actually helped build his village and fought for it.

"Naruto." Kakashi warned. "I'm sure-

"No, he's right." Tsunade said, reaching around to massage her neck. "I was never…" She sighed, "I was just angry that she allowed Orochimaru to become what he is. I blamed her. I guess I still do. She could have stopped it but she was just too blinded by 'her greatest student's' potential." Tsunade shook her head in disappointment. "She was in complete denial."

"We all were, Tsunade." Jiraiya said, rubbing her back.

"Yeah, we were, weren't we?"


	5. Four

Warning: Fluff!

* * *

**Four**

_Fighting Madara_

"The Nidaime? I would have taken you for a Yondaime loiterer myself, but…" Jiraiya began as he place her belongings down then sat beside Shoko who was lying on her back and staring at the stars. Her hair was splayed around her small body like an ethereal halo. Her white yukata glowed in the darkness and her pale blue eye stood out profoundly compared to her brown eye. She looked like a spirit, unearthly.

She flicked her gaze to him and smiled. "Tobirama has the most room. I didn't wanna fall asleep and accidently roll off Minato's nose."

Jiraiya handed her her clothes and weapons and she flashed a smirk and nodded.

"Tell me." She demanded, turning to him. "Everything that's happened in the last 15 years. I don't want to wait for tomorrow. Tell me how you've been. Tell me about Orochimaru. And tell me about Tsunade and Shizune and Sarutobi and everyone." She listed. "And tell me about Naruto, I want to know everything about him. What's he like? Is he anything like Kushina? Why doesn't he know who his parents were?"

Jiraiya chuckled and put a hand over her mouth to silence her before telling her everything she asked to know and more. He told her how they decided to keep the knowledge of Naruto's father a secret to keep him safe from enemies the Fourth may have had so they gave him Kushina's last name. He told her of Orochimaru's defection. About the attack on the village by Sound and Orochimaru and why he fled. He told her about his travels and even stories Tsunade had told him about hers. He filled her in on the Uchiha massacre and Sasuke and Itachi. The Akatsuki. He told her all about Naruto and what he knew about Sakura and Sai.

They talked for hours before a confortable silence fell over them. Shoko had missed so much. She wished that she could have been there for Naruto. He had been so alone.

"Are you sure you'll be able to do this, when the time comes?" Jiraiya asked, breaking the silence. They were laying side by side now, both gazing at the starry night sky.

"I don't have a choice. I can either complete the mission or go back…to…"She stopped and turned to look at him. "I can't go back there."

Jiraiya understood. He had already made his mind up to never allow her to be put back in that underground Hell, or anywhere else for that matter. He would do everything in his power to insure she remain free. "You won't." He promised her.

"If he is…behind this. If he means to harm Naruto, then I will stop him. If he means to end the ninja world then I will stop him. I've fought him before Jiraiya, I can do it again."

"_He's what?" Kuro yelled. _

"_I begged him not to go!" Uzumaki Mito sobbed into her hands. Madara had defected from the village and Hashirama had left without a word to face him alone. They had no doubts of their Hokage's abilities but they also had no doubt of Madara's maliciousness. He would never face Hashirama unless he had an Ace up his sleeve._

_Hashirama had left at least an hour before to face him and Mito had just then broken down and confessed her worry to the three Yogo-Sha; Kuro, Akio Ran and Kobayashi Shoko. Kuro was fuming. He had just left without so much as a word. What if he were to be defeated? What would the village do? _

_Ran and Shoko had been silent throughout the entire scene. Ran because he was thinking up some strategy that would ensure their Hokage's survival or perhaps the survival of the village if, Kami forbid, he was defeated. Shoko, though, had been quiet for a completely different reason._

_Madara had left the village. Her brother. Her brother was fighting the man she had sworn to protect with her life. She had seen this coming from the day the truce was signed. It only worsened when Hashirama had been given the title instead of him. _

_Madara had left her. He was all she had with Izuna dead. How could he?_

_Mind made up, she grabbed Ran and Kuro's arms and teleported._

_She knew where they would be. Madara would lead him. He would fight him on land that he knew and only he knew. There was a huge stretch of land, cut through by a steady river where Madara and Izuna used to train. He knew every inch of that land. That was where they would be, she knew it. _

_The problem was, she had never teleported that far before and she had certainly never teleported two other people. Shoko was just beginning to master this jutsu. Her Kasoku Suru no Jutsu was essentially an experiment gone horribly wrong but turned out quite convenient. She had the capability of manipulating time and space in a way that made her seem even faster than she was. She was able to vanish mid-fight, if need be and she could teleport without a hand sign. But she had never teleported another person with her and she wasn't sure it would end well but she had to get to her Shūshi before Madara could harm him in any way._

_The good news was that they had appeared in the area of the old training field. Hashirama and Madara were there, facing off. _

_Shoko cursed. She'd miscalculated somehow and they had appeared at least 70 feet in the air above a momentarily oblivious Hashirama and Madara._

"_Oh shit oh shit." She said, trying to concentrate on teleporting again, but falling from oblivion was terrifying. She couldn't do it._

_Ran pulled out a set of explosive tags and threw them towards the ground below to at least soften the landing. _

_An explosion between the two ninjas sent them both leaping back and staring into the cloud of dust and dirt._

"_Nice." Kuro told Ran._

"_Eh…arigato, was nothing." Ran responded._

"_Hn." Shoko grunted, a bit miffed from the lack of credit. She got them there. That was something!_

_When the dust settled Madara was facing the three Yogo-Sha. Shoko was standing between Kuro and Ran who were looking intensely at him. Shoko though, was facing away. One hand holding down the tip of her rice-hat so that it wouldn't blow away in the wind. No one could see her eyes beneath the rim and that was how she wanted it._

"_My own sister." Madara sneered. "Come to betray me?"_

_Shoko didn't speak, she just vanished appearing behind Madara and sending a high crescent kick to the back of his head. It missed but she wasn't about to be discouraged, she was on him in an instant. And another instant later Madara was fighting the three of them. _

_Madara battled the Yogo-Sha for a good hour and a half. In the end Kuro and Ran were rendered unconscious. Shoko kept fighting though. Ignoring her brother's verbal jabs. Her hits, failing to land. She was tiring and the overuse of her teleportation jutsu was beginning to give her an extremely painful migraine._

_Madara unfurled a large scroll after kicking Shoko into a large boulder. She slumped to the ground and watched as Madara summoned a gigantic fox with several tails. She hurried to stand and attack the thing before it set its sights on her Shūshi. _

_She appeared in front of it, throwing a kick to the side of its snout but immediately regretted it as she was severely burned on contact._

_She leapt a safe distance away and sent a wind jutsu toward the fox. It did nothing. She tried lightning; nothing._

_She 'tch'ed and vanished before the fox could land a deadly swipe of its tail at her._

_Shoko reappeared in front of her Shūshi. She had one option left. Her eyes as well as the sky above them, blackened simultaneously. Her left hand had taken the sign of the Tiger while her right hand flew through a series of complicated gestures. The static in the air was thick and sharp. _

_She was chakra drained and physically exhausted but she couldn't let him win. She swayed on her feet just as lightning struck the ruined rubble around them but before she could complete her jutsu, Hashirama stopped her with his words._

"_Fall back."_

_She froze for a moment before turning her head slightly to glance back at him._

"_Nani?" She asked, unsure she'd heard him right. Why would she fall back? Her job was to protect him with her life. To fight for him until she could no longer stand. She may sway a little but she could still stand._

"_Fall back. Take the others with you. They need medical aid as soon as possible." Hashirama said, never taking his eyes off the humungous fox that was standing in front of Madara, staring at them as if they were insignificant insects._

"_But...!" She began. The sky was still dark with storm clouds and would be until the natural storm she had created ran its course but the whites of her eyes had gone back to their normal color and she dropped her hands to her sides._

"_It is alright. Take them and go." Hashirama told her with a nod._

_Crestfallen and no longer satisfied with her own battle skills she turned away from him._

"_I've failed you then. Forgive me." She said._

"_Not at all. I believe that you would protect your Hokage… your village, with your dying breath, Shoko. That is why I need you to fall back. I treasure my Jinsoku too much to lose her because of an unfair advantage."_

_Shoko, defeated, turned toward the other two guardians before pausing mid-step._

"_N-Nani? Unfair advantage? What do you mean…unfair advantage eh!" She said, whipping around and shaking an angry fist at Hashirama who just chuckled nervously held a hand up in surrender._

"_I mean-_

"_HM?"_

"_Hehe…what I meant was, he is your brother Shoko," Hashirama said, becoming serious once more and staring past her at Uchiha Madara. "I have seen you hesitate in times when he has not. I'm certain you could defeat the giant kitsune and the Uchiha…had it not been for the fact that he is your family and you aren't the kind of person to harm family without harming yourself as well."_

_Shoko smiled at his attempt to redeem himself by telling her she could defeat the tailed-beast when they both knew she couldn't defeat it on her best day. She nodded to him._

"_Hai Shūshi. There's no question." She said, smirking arrogantly at her master who smiled at her. "Don't let that overgrown cat defeat you. You have not given me that spare you promised." Shoko said, walking back over to her two sleeping companions. She grabbed a foot each and before she vanished, she glanced over her shoulder at her traitorous brother…and she smirked._

_She would kill the bastard if he harmed her master. He was no longer her brother. He had betrayed them all. Izuna would be ashamed._

_She turned back and closed her eyes, concentrating on the hospital._

_They crashed through the roof of the hospital, landing in a heap on the tiled of the third floor lobby._

_Nurses screamed and scattered away while Shoko groaned and sat up, rubbing her bottom._

"_I'll be dragged through hot coals and forced to eat nails before I ever let you do that to me again." Grumbled a now conscious Kuro. Ran looked over at Shoko, who was giving Kuro a sad smile._

"_Is he…"_

"_We did all that we could. Shūshi will win. He's too strong to be defeated by such a man." Shoko then stood and brushed herself off, offering a hand to her two companions, "And if he doesn't, we will be the ones to kill Uchiha Madara."_

_The other two Yogo-Sha nodded their heads in complete agreement._

She lifted herself onto her elbows before she reached out and placed a hand on Jiraiya's cheek. He turned his gaze to her and they locked eyes.

"You know," She purred as she caressed his cheek and leaned dangerously close to his face. "It wasn't just food and sunlight that I was deprived of down there." She brushed her lips ever so lightly across his while she moved her hand from his cheek to his shirt before pulling back and straddling him. She leaned in again and place soft kisses down his jaw to his neck, pausing to hover over his pulse point for a moment and smirking when she felt him shiver beneath her.

"Sho…" He began trying to bite back a groan. She was killing him.

* * *

After a few breathtaking moments he rolled off her and they lay together in comfortable silence.

Shoko started to laugh and Jiraiya whipped his head around to stammer indignantly at her reaction.

"It's not that, it's just…we just did the naughty on Tobirama's face guard." She said, patting the ground beside her dotingly.

"He's probably rolling over in his grave right now." Jiraiya said thoughtfully.

She laughed again and rolled onto her side to run her fingers through his snowy mane.

"Gomenasai." He said. He could never show just how sorry he was.

"Shh." She whispered into his ear as she brushed her fingers across his mouth. He kissed her fingertips affectionately. "Nothing was your fault. You could have done nothing to change things. The outcome was delayable but never was it…inescapable." She said assuringly, though it did nothing to ease his guilt.

She reached over him and grabbed her old robe, obi and geta and smiled fondly at them.

"You know, you always did look good in those old monk clothes." Jiraiya said.

Shoko blinked, "Monk…" She had almost forgotten about Fujiki, her summon. He was always more like a companion since he always stayed with her. The last time she saw the alcoholic, perverted monk of a raccoon dog he was leaving her to deliver a message on the battle field to Tsunade. "Fujiki…" She muttered.

Jiraiya could hear the longing in her voice and wanted to assure her that her hard drinking little raccoon friend was okay but he hadn't heard a peep from the Tanuki clans since Shoko had gone underground besides the trouble with Shukaku. The Toads and the Tanuki were close but none of them had told Jiraiya if Fujiki was still around.

"I'm sure Fu is fine. You can try and summon him now-

"No." She said as she nuzzled his neck. "I'm with you. I want to stay with you this night. Tomorrow I'll worry about Fu. He's probably off at some Tanuki brothel contracting some exotic germ from other wanton raccoon dogs and drinking until he turns green like he always did." She said fondly. She missed him, despite their constant bickering and her urges to kick him across the room. Despite his reliable hangovers and his perverted comments, she loved that damned ball of fur and couldn't wait to see him, to make sure he got out of the war okay. But for now she was with Jiraiya and that was all she needed for tonight.

She slipped on her kimono and grabbed her clogs, bladed gloves, staff and necklace then looked out over the village she had once loved but now wasn't so sure.

Jiraiya slipped his shirt and robes back on and stood beside her. He allowed her a moment before ruffling her hair and walking off, waving a hand for her to follow.

Soon they made it to a familiar place toward the north-west side of town. Shoko's apartment building was just as she had remembered, save for even more paint chipping and overgrown plants coving it. She had bought it just after moving out of the Uchiha Complex. The whole building was hers.

They walked up the stairs and Jiraiya unlocked the door with a key he fished out of the pot of an old and long dead bonsai plant.

She looked around silently. It was exactly the same; spacious and bare.

The building had been gutted when she bought it, leaving it just one big room with high ceilings and a second floor that wrapped around the outer area with a set of spiral stairs leading up to it and a bathroom on the west end.

Three of the extremely paint chipped and water stained walls donned huge windows with sheer, billowing, white curtains covering them. The fourth wall was covered in dark maple wood shelves, overflowing with old scrolls and ancient books.

Jiraiya saw her walking to the bookshelfed wall, "Some of the more priceless books have been stored away in the Hokage's library. You can have them back whenever you want them." She nodded, still eyeing the numerous book spines.

Her huge bed lay in the middle of the building. It was the biggest bed she could find in Konoha and could easily fit four, maybe five, adults. It was made of the same dark maple wood of her shelves and covered in white sheets and the fluffiest, white goose down comforter she'd ever covered up with.

As far as décor went, there was one large dark colored rug in the center of the old wooden floor, numerous white and off white colored candles, most half melted to become one with whatever surface they were on.

The only things decorating her walls were a large portrait of the back of a half nude geisha and another painting on the wall itself and part of the floor, of an indigo, almost black, dragon. The majority of its body was painted on the wall opposite the bookshelf, with the exception of its long, winding tail that ran onto the floor. It was the same serpentine dragon that was carved into her staff.

The place was surprisingly clean and lacked the layers of dust she expected it to have. She glanced questioningly at Jiraiya.

"My sensei kept the place up for you before the attack from Sound. When he died, Tsunade decided to let Genma move in since his apartment had been destroyed and the village was low on money so she couldn't afford to have a cleaner come in as often. He just moved out a few months ago and back into ANBU HQ."

"Genma?" She said amusedly while she walked over to the bed. "Should I…not touch that or…"

Jiraiya snorted. "Tsunade had Shizune come in and clean- uh- sanitize the place a few nights ago. I think the bed is safe."

"He always was a little ladies man." She leapt into the bed at that and patted the space beside her. "Stay?" She asked softly. He smiled and walked over then got into the huge bed beside her. He leaned against the headboard and she rested her head on his stomach while he ran his fingers through her long mahogany mess of hair. Content and exhausted, both ninja let the cool night air and the sound of nature's nightlife flowing through the open windows, lull them to sleep.

* * *

**Next Chapter there will be a new character. I usually don't like creating more than one OC with a major part but this little guy is an exception. You'll see why when you read ahead! =)**

**PS. In the flash back...I was kind of inspired by the beginning to Skillet's _Sometimes_ when the Yogo-Sha showed up to the battle. Hehe. It's too bad that everyday life doesn't have theme music playing in the background.**

**R&R Pretty Please!**


	6. Five

**Five**

_The Sidekick_

She awoke the next morning, with a grin as the sunlight shone through the white curtains and straight into her eyes. Sunlight. It had been so long since she's had this kind of glorious annoyance.

She leapt from the bed, not surprised that Jiraiya hadn't been awakened by the jostling. The moment her feet hit the floor, however he stirred at the lack of warmth. He watched her make a few hand signs, bite her thumb and place her hand on the floor at her feet.

A poof of smoke later and a large tan and brown raccoon dog, wearing a pointed green bamboo rice hat appeared. Shoko grinned, "Fujiki." She whispered.

The raccoon blinked at her, "You look like shit."

Her eyebrow twitched and she grabbed him by the scruff of his neck before shaking him and yelling, "Don't you know to never say that to a woman! You're a real dick, you overgrown rat! And to think I was actually worried about you for fifteen years when I should have known you were off bar hopping and livin it up without me!"

Fujiki gagged and threw his paws to his mouth. Shoko dropped him in disgust and he bolted to the bathroom across the building.

A few moments later he came stomping into the room with a scowl. "If I had known you were planning to abuse me I never would have drank those last two bottles of sake last night." He grumbled while he rubbed the back of his sore neck.

Jiraiya had to suppress a chuckle at the scene before him. Like old times. The infamous, never ending bickering between the two of them had become something the whole village could appreciate before the accusations had begun and was even something her enemies spoke of.

Fujiki glanced past Shoko at the 'sleeping' Jiraiya in in her bed then switched his gaze to her and wiggled his furry eyebrows. "Seems like you had a nice welcome home party."

Shoko grinned at him and shockingly told Fujiki that she would give him details later. Shoko was just as perverted as Jiraiya, though the raccoon dog had them both beat by a long shot. Jiraiya remembered the times when Shoko would help him carve peep holes in the women's bath and how she often liked to recite pages from his books, complete with sound effects, when she wanted to make people uncomfortable.

Shoko broke Jiraiya from his thoughts a few minutes later.

"…have to kill him. Do you think it's possible?" She asked. She had filled Fujiki in on her mission and the news of Madara's existence, though both she and Fu had known for a long time that he had survived the battle with Hashirama. She hadn't known, however, that he would be able to create am immortality jutsu.

"'Possible' as in physical capability or 'possible' as in mental capability?" He asked her.

She sighed and scratched behind his ear where he always asked her to. He flopped down beside her, completely under the spell of her magic fingers. "Both. Though, it may be helpful if I had an idea of how it is he's been keeping himself alive. If he somehow stole my own jutsu then killing him will be easy as pie but if he actually succeeded in his own…"

Jiraiya decided to keep up his sleeping façade. He had never heard anything about Shoko's jutsu. She kept it a secret from even her closest people. The only other person…well thing, who knew was Fujiki.

"Easy?" Fu scoffed.

"Well if his soul is sealed into an object then all I need to do is find it and destroy it. He's too old and its common sense he would be dead by now without the jutsu. Destroying the object will send his soul back to his body and the jutsu will be broken. His age will speed up and he should turn to dust. I wouldn't even have to fight him." She explained quietly. "At least, that's if he's used Tamashī Shīrā."

So she had _sealed_ her soul away. Her immortality wasn't even a ninjutsu. It was a Fūinjutsu. That explained the seal on her neck. Jiraiya worried about how easy it would be for an enemy to end her life if they somehow found out. He suddenly realized why she kept her jutsu a secret.

"If that's the case then you had better keep your existence from him. He could use the same method against you." Fujiki said. "As far as he knows, you're still in prison."

"I know, but if he wants to destroy the container of my soul then he'll have to come to me to do it." She said. "And he'll know I've been released soon anyway, everyone will."

Fujiki narrowed his eyes at her. "I know what you're thinking Sho. It's a foolish idea, even for you." Jiraiya assumed he was talking about her using herself as bait. If her soul really was sealed into something she had, like Jiraiya guessed it was then she could draw Madara out with the concept of him finding and destroying her soul. Shoko was, after all only a few years younger than Madara. Her body wouldn't survive the ageing.

She shook her head, "Yeah, I won't. It's just always what the hero does in the books, though."

Fujiki rolled his eyes. "You're not a hero. You're a side character that provides a few laughs for the readers."

She shoved him with her foot. "I am the hero. You're my sidekick."

"You're not pretty enough to be the hero." He grumbled. She growled at him. "Do you think you can handle killing your own 'brother', Shoko?" He asked her.

It was silent for a while before she spoke. "Hell no." She said. "_I don't want to kill him._ I mean, I did at first. He blinded my husband, left me alone, tried to kill the First…when he summoned the Kyuubi and just stood aside to let me die. But he is my brother. My family. Even though he wanted me dead, I couldn't bring myself to feel the same way."

"He's changed Shoko. I don't know why he changed but, something in him broke. He's been insane ever since the truce he made with Hashirama. That was when the arguments between you three started, remember? When he started making ridiculous assumptions about the Senjus' motives." Fujiki paused. "He lost his mind back then, imagine what he must be like now. You won't be killing the Madara you knew. Remember that."

"I will. But if he's created his own jutsu then I could be up against an impossible situation. Madara was stronger than me and I'm sure he's only gotten stronger while I've been reduced to some weak ancient relic that's just been dug up."

"That's true." Fujiki said, earning him a flick on the nose. "If Madara is so strong then you just need to get stronger. If anyone can kill that bastard it's you. Wait a second," Fujiki thought back on something else, "If Madara is behind this thing with the tailed-beasts…he must have some plan in controlling them right?"

"If he is behind it then of course." She too became silent as she thought about the past. "It wouldn't surprise me if he could use his Sharingan to manipulate a tailed beast just like he used to do with the spirit beasts that were sent to attack our mercenary before the village was founded. Remember?" Fujiki nodded. "I mean, there's a world of difference between a spirit beast and a tailed beast but he was always the strongest ninja I've ever known, maybe that's how he controlled the Kyuubi when he ordered it to destroy Hashirama-sama during their battle in the Valley of End."

"What if he was the one behind the Kyuubi attack 15 years ago?" There was a short silence. Jiraiya thought back on the attack. It made sense. Madara had been trying and failing to get revenge on the village since he was exiled. If that were the case the Madara was almost certainly behind the tailed-beasts extractions. Then that meant…

"He's trying to create the ten-tails." Jiraiya said as he sat up in bed. Shoko whipped her head around to stare wide eyed at him before nodding in agreement.

"It's a good theory but I thought the ten-tails was only a myth."

"So did I." Jiraiya said.

After getting dressed Shoko, Jiraiya and Fu made their way to the Hokage tower. They decided to keep the theory to themselves for the time being. Until they at least knew if there really was a connection between Madara and the Akatsuki. Shoko really wished Jiraiya's informant could just tell him everything he knew but sadly, nothing was that simple.

* * *

"But!" Naruto exclaimed. He, Sakura, Sai and Kakashi were sitting around Tsunade's office, waiting for their new team-mate when Naruto tried to pour himself a cup of coffee. Turning to see Tsunade, Sakura and even Kakashi rushing over to separate him from the cup, each yelling something about caffeine and the apocalypse.

"Absolutely not! Now stop askin me before I throw you out the window." Tsunade seethed, effectively shutting the blonde boy up. He knew damn well that she wasn't bluffing. He'd made far more trips up the stairs to her office than he had down the stairs. "Sho'll be he-

Tsunade cut herself off at the sound of a single bell. Naruto whipped his head back around to stare at the magnificent Goddess lazily leaning in the window seal, arms crossed and a pocky stick hanging from her mouth. Now that he could actually get a good look at her in the daylight, he took advantage by completely and shamelessly gawking.

She was short and thin and her long mahogany colored hair flowed down her back, one lock was wrapped in a deep purple cloth and had a bell tied to the end. She was wearing a loose fitting, baggy sleeve, simple black robe, undeneath which she wore a green kimono style top, held closed by a white obi. She wore geta clogs and her right arm and left leg were both bandaged.

She was carrying the old staff from last night. It towered almost a foot and a half over her head and was covered in ancient writing as well as a dark blue dragon that twisted around it from top to bottom.

All and all, she kind of resembled a monk from the Fire Temple. Her facial features were elegant. Though marred by the large scar she still looked strikingly beautiful. She had a small nose and full bottom lip. What stood out the most though, were her eyes. They were two different colors as Naruto had noticed before but now, in the sunlight he could tell just how different they were. One being brown and the other was a pale ice blue with a darker ring around the blue. Both surrounded by thick dark lashes. They were odd but somehow extremely beautiful on her.

"I assume you're feeling better today?" Tsunade said with a raised brow. Shoko smiled and shrugged. It amazed Tsunade just how much one night out of the pit could do for her health. She looked like nothing had ever happened and her clothes…Tsunade felt a pang of nostalgia. Just seeing her like this brought back so many memories.

Just then the door opened and Jiraiya and a rice hat sporting raccoon dog waltzed in causing Tsunade to groan in annoyance and Kakashi to smirk beneath his mask though he didn't look up from his book. She should have known she wouldn't get one without the other. Shoko and Fujiki were a package deal.

"Hime." Fujiki purred as he leaned against her desk at her feet. "It's been _too_ long. I have to say though; you still look as appetizing as ever." She stared down at him in disgust but he failed to notice since his gaze was directed somewhere else.

"FU! Stop staring at the Hokage's boobs, ya filthy rodent." Shoko yelled. He winked at Tsunade before he turned with a bored look at Shoko.

"Honestly." He whined, holding his ears dramatically. "It's too early for your shrill voice right now."

She leapt down and kicked Fujiki across the room before turning to Naruto and hopping into his lap, ignoring Fujiki's string of colorful language as she trapped Naruto in a bear hug that rivaled a real bear. "Uzumaki Naruto, I vow to protect you with my life from this moment on." She said, tightening her grip on his neck and giving him a big noisy kiss on his forehead. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you were younger but I promise to make it up to you. I'm going to train you… uh, if you want me to." She added a little sheepishly as she pulled back to look questioningly at him.

He blinked at her for a few more moments before a huge goofy grin spread from ear to ear, "Are you kidding me? _The_ Jinsoku is going to train me?" She beamed back and nodded. "But why?" He added a little hesitantly. It was often someone offered to train him especially a famous ninja. He'd had to beg Ero-Sennin to teach him.

"Because I want to. I know good potential when I see it and you," She pointed at his chest. "Are excellent potential." She immediately regretted using that as a reason since she was sure Orochimaru bitterly popped into about half the people in the rooms heads.

"Wow. Th-Thanks! I'm going to be Hokage someday, ya know! Maybe you can be my bodyguard." She smirked at that. To be a Guardian again… "Will you teach me your teleport jutsu? OH! And your…immortality JUTSU!" He was so excited at the prospect of learning more famous jutsu it was amusing. Shoko snorted and leapt from his lap.

She ruffled his hair, "That's cute kid." He was like the male version of Kushina. He was going to be bothersome but Shoko couldn't wait to start teaching him.

"Jiraiya caught me up on everything that's happened since…you know." She said to Tsunade. "So the deal is, I'm going to kill Uchiha Madara and you will set me free." Tsunade nodded, a little annoyed at Shoko's demanding tone but that had long grown on her. Shoko was always demanding and blunt, it seemed as if nothing changed. "I'll be free to leave the village? No ANBU…that includes ROOT." She added.

"Yes, completely free. You won't be in any Leaf Bingo Books thought I can't say the same for the other villages once they've learned you've been released." Tsunade said. Shoko shrugged, not really concerned with foreign ANBU. It was common knowledge that Leaf ninja's were the most troublesome when you're a wanted criminal.

They spent a while going over everything while Tsunade and Fujiki bickered over a bottle of what she claimed was the best sake in the world. Shoko learned more about Sakura and Sai.

She learned Sakura was in love with the younger Uchiha. Shoko wanted to tell her that Uchiha's weren't worth the trouble but decided to hold her tongue for now. She also found out Sakura succeeded in defeating Sasori of the Sand. Tsunade told her about Sakura's medical skills rivaling her own. Shoko could help but notice how proud Tsunade sounded when she talked about the young girl. Despite their differences, it made Shoko smile to know Tsunade had found someone worthy of passing on her talents. The ninja world needed more medical ninjas.

Sai, she learned, was from Root. Shoko immediately liked the unfortunate boy. He was blunt and completely oblivious to other people's feelings. He nicknamed her 'Weird Eyes', but he said that was only because 'Ugly' was already taken.

Kakashi filled her in on Jiraiya's Icha Icha books and how everyone had been. He gave her a rough estimate of how many girls Genma had brought to taint her house while she was gone. It was a depressingly large number. She felt like she should probably scrub the place from top to bottom soon. He told her about Gai and his new student. He didn't mention Asuma and Shoko didn't ask. Neither comfortable with bringing him up since both knew just how much Asuma despised her. He was just one of the many who believed her to be guilty, though his hatred ran a little deeper for personal reasons.

Tsunade and Jiraiya filled her in on the profiles of each Akatsuki member. She already knew Kakuzu, as he had been a pain in the ass when she was a missing-nin. Her Bingo Book bounty rivaled that of a Fire Temple Guardian. They didn't have much on him, only what allied villages would relay. There was Hidan, whom she thought looked like a cocky SOB from the picture. They didn't know much about him either, only that he traveled with Kakuzu and he could wield a scythe.

Sasori was dead, Deidara was only a kid but from what she heard he would be a pain in the ass.

Itachi, she hardly knew anything about only that she and a few others had put up a huge fight long ago about sending children his age into the war which was completely disregarded and from the looks of it her point was made with Itachi. Though there were things Tsunade, Jiraiya and Kakashi all knew that they weren't about to say in front of the younger ninja. Jiraiya had told her about the massacre and the orders that were given to Itachi to carry it out. Some things about it bothered her though. Some things just didn't add up.

Then there was Kisame whom she knew most about. Every time she looked in the mirror she was reminded of him. During the time she had left the Leaf behind to travel she had a run in with three of the Seven Swordsmen and Kisame had been lucky enough to land a nice gash from her right temple to her collarbone. He had made sure to leave a reminder for Shoko to never assume size meant a damn thing when it came to speed. Having been traveling alone and one with exceptionally crappy medical skills, she had no way of healing the gash and it scarred nice and pretty. She didn't mind it though. He was formidable and it made for a decent story.

They had nothing on the Leader…or 'Leader-sama' or 'Pein'. Shoko wondered if this 'Pein' could be Madara. Of course Madara would never use his real name. At least not until he was ready to be discovered. By then everything would be too late. She had a feeling Jiraiya knew more about this leader of the Akatsuki than he was telling, but she wouldn't ask. Jiraiya always knew more than anyone else. Despite his carefree demeanor, he really was observant.

There was a possibility of more members, though, there was no information on them at the time.

"So, basically, it's a club for freaks." Shoko said, draped over the window seal like a lazy cat and staring out towards the village with Kakashi occupying the other side of the window reading his book while she absently tapped her clogs on the bottom of his feet. She had three pocky sticks hanging out of her mouth and about 6 discarded pocky boxes on the floor beneath her. The sight made Kakashi smirk beneath his mask. He'd forgotten how much she loved that stuff. When he and Obito were kids they could get Shoko to do anything for a box of green tea pocky. "Perhaps I can join it…" She said more to herself than anyone else but quickly corrected her mistake when she felt the room tense. "I mean infiltration. Destroy it from the inside out. If Madara-

"If Madara does have anything to do with Akatsuki then you'll be a sitting duck. He'll kill you before you could even make your first move." Tsunade said, thoroughly annoyed at Shoko's foolish ideas.

"Do you think it would be so easy for him to kill me?" She asked, turning from the village to look at the Hokage. "Physically, perhaps, but do you think my own brother would kill me just like that?"

"He's already proven he would when you fought him with my Grandfather. And your 'own brother' has a history of killing family just like that." Tsunade said. Before she could say anything else Shoko stood in front of her, eyes narrowed. Tsunade held her hand up to everyone in the room before they could even think to make a move to stop Shoko.

"Don't talk about him like that, Tsunade." She warned. Tsunade didn't back down though, she narrowed her eyes in return.

"What's wrong? Having doubts about the mission already?" She taunted.

"I told you I would and I will_._ But you have to realize that he is my fucking family! The only family I have left and killing him just like THAT," She snapped her fingers in Tsunade's face causing Tsunade to clinch her fist and growl, "Will be impossible!" She yelled. They stared at eachother for a moment in silence, eyes glaring. No one moved. They all knew, Shoko included, that if she so much as made the wrong move, everyone would be on her. "He's my family." She said softly.

Tsunade's expression softened. It was true, Madara was Shoko's only family. The only person left from her past. The only person who could possibly understand her because he had been there when she was just a child. He had taken care of her and protected her and he loved her. But he wasn't the same person. He had gone insane, lost his mind somewhere along the way and the old Madara, Shoko's only family had died. This Madara needed to be stopped before he destroyed everything the old one stood for.

Shoko turned and walked back to the window, "I told you I would and I will. Madara is as good as dead." She said with finality before sighing and grabbing a pocky stick she spotted lying on the floor and popping it into her mouth with a smile. Kakashi wondered briefly if crazy ran through their family, even if she wasn't a true Uchiha she must have picked it up while living with them or something because her mood swings were unbelievable.

"What about the labs." Shoko asked.

"The labs? They've been abandoned since Orochimaru fled and ANBU tore them apart, searching for all the children." Tsunade said bluntly making Shoko wince. Tsunade knew what she wanted though. "No. It was hard enough getting you released, there is no way possible for you to have clearance into those labs."

"Okay." Shoko said simply. She didn't need permission but she had asked for it to be polite. There were things down there that she would need if she were to have even a fighting chance against Madara. Tsunade, Jiraiya and Kakashi eyes her suspiciously. They knew she wouldn't have given up so easily when denied something unless she had a plan to get it anyway.

"Anything else I need to know or do? I was thinking about going home for a while. All this talking is exhausting" Tsunade looked skeptical but Shoko smirked and strode over to Jiraiya, running a nail down his chest to the rope around his kimono shirt then turned back to Tsunade. "Jiraiya kept me up for most of the night." She said smugly, knowing it would absolutely piss Tsunade off, though she would never admit it. Shoko nearly grinned at the slight eye brow twitch but she held it back.

"No, that's it for now. You need to come in sometime tomorrow and let Sakura check you over to make sure there's nothing wrong…physically."

Shoko snorted at the insult. "FU!" She yelled, standing two feet away from the unconscious raccoon dog who was conveniently passed out under Tsunade's chair. He stirred a bit, scratching his belly before letting out a huge snore and falling back asleep. Everyone watched in amusement as Shoko huffed and bent down, grabbing the raccoon and swung him over her shoulder then gracefully flipped his discarded hat off the floor with her foot and caught it with her free hand.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Here." Tsunade said reaching behind her desk and pulling out a suitcase. "All of your funds before your exile. Shizune found it down in the basement about a year ago. You're lucky, I almost used it on the village, but I had a feeling…"

Fujiki seemed to come awake at the sound of funds. He craned his head to glance over Shoko's shoulder at the suitcase before scrambling off and hoisting it onto his back. "Good, I haven't been to a Konoha bar in 15 years." He said, dragging the money towards the door before Shoko lifted it off his back and fixed him with a scowl.

"Well then I guess that means most of the girls you used to hit on might be of legal age now." She said seriously. Naruto and Sakura started laughing hysterically while Kakashi and Jiraiya shook their heads at the two. "Come on." She said. They walked out the door and shut it behind them. She bent down and opened the case, grabbing some yen and handing it to Fujiki. "Take the case home before you paint the town red, pleeease." She said. He looked at her and nodded, though he was a little suspicious as to why she wasn't taking it. She smiled. "Thanks Fu. I'll see ya later." Then she vanished.

* * *

**Next chapter is last chapter before a three month time skip, then events will start taking place and you'll get a better idea of where this story is as far as the anime goes.**


	7. Six

**Six**

_Where's the Money?_

"Che." Shoko was perched atop the east side of the village wall, scoping out the 'first' entrance to the labs. Of course Tsunade would have ANBU guarding it now with her lurking around.

Fortunately for her, there was a second entrance. But for now she would put on an act of disappointment for her ever present tail. Kakashi had been following her from the moment she left the tower. It wasn't that he wasn't stealthy. No, she actually should applaud him for having hid his presence from her for the first few minutes. He was just 100 years too young to hide from her.

She sighed…maybe a little too dramatically and turned to head to the market street.

A few grocery bags worth of pocky, a bag of personal supplies and a ton of ugly looks from civilians later, Shoko found herself frozen in the middle of the street, wondering if her money had made it home safely. Suddenly she felt panic. She'd given her money to the most untrustworthy thing in the world and asked him to see it home safely. What was she thinking?

* * *

"That little _son of a bitch_!" She looked around the empty building. Nothing. No suitcase of money. No raccoon dog.

She stormed out of the building that was her old home and threw a glare towards the tree line. "Kakashi, where did Fujiki go when he left the Hokage tower?"

Kakashi, who had been reading in the tree she was currently glaring at, blinked and turned to look at her with a raised brow before jumping down and revealing himself. "Uh hum…" He glanced at the sky. He'd been following her this whole time. When did she notice him and why the hell hadn't she said something and saved him the time? He could have been off…reading his book elsewhere. "Fujiki? Er I don't know, I-

"You were too busy following the criminal, yes yes…well you've been had. Pat yourself on the back for keeping hidden during the first three or so minutes though." She vanished reappearing in front of the hospital, trying to remember where the ninja bar was and if it was even still in the same place since the attack from Sound.

She cracked her neck and narrowed her eyes then started off down the closest road.

It wasn't long though, before she was intercepted by an over enthusiastic Naruto, followed by a less than enthusiastic Sakura and a Sai…who didn't really show anything.

After about 30 seconds of convincing, Naruto dragged Shoko to the Ramen stand and the four of them sat down to 7 steaming bowls of ramen…

"So, Sho-bachan-

"Sho-what?"

Sakura choked on her noodles and Sai began observing Shoko's face for her reaction.

"Naruto! You can't just call people that." Sakura said after a few deep breaths. Shoko was just smirking at Naruto who was nervously chuckling.

"But she's even older than Tsunade-bachan."

"It's alright. I'm pretty used to names. Grandma isn't that bad."

"At least I didn't call her Weird-Eyes." Naruto responded, leaning forward to look at Sai who just shrugged.

"She has weird eyes. It's a suitable nickname." Sai said before going back to his ramen.

"Nicknames aren't that bad, Sakura-

"Hey Forehead Girl!" This time Shoko choked while Sakura narrowed her eyes. The four of them turned to see a Yamanaka, a Nara and an Akimichi. Their heritage was so obvious; Shoko didn't even really need an introduction.

"Who this? New girl?" Shoko, realizing the girl was talking to her, slapped on a cheery smile, leapt up and reached out to shake the girl's hand.

"Uh-

Sakura began. Should she tell them who Shoko was?

"This is Kobayashi Shoko. You can call her Sho-bachan if you want, she doesn't mind." Naruto finished. Sakura sighed.

"Oh, well, I'm Ino, this is Shikamaru and the guy eating the chips is Chōji." Ino said shaking Shoko's hand.

"Kobayashi Shoko?" Shikamaru repeated. "Where do I know that name?"

Before anyone could answer, Ino asked a different question, "Where are you from? I don't see your headband. Are you a ninja? You don't look like a ninja."

"Uh…I'm from…

Shoko felt a prickle on the back of her neck and instinctively ducked.

A sickle flew inches over her head and buried itself into a post beside the ramen shop.

There was about 1 second of silence before all six ninja took a defensive stance. Shoko, though, walked over to the sickle and pulled it from the post, turning to the stunned crowd that had frozen in the street.

"Who threw this?" She asked. No one made a move. She walked past the six ninja and glared at the crowd. "Who the fuck thought it was smart to throw this at me, hm?"

A man stepped forward and glared back at Shoko. He was middle aged and certainly not a ninja.

"I did." He said defiantly. Quicker than anyone could see, Shoko had the man's own sickle to his throat.

"And who are you?" She asked.

"Only one of the many people whose lives you ruined. I am Kyou from Tokkuriji." The man responded. Shoko raised her brows. "You can kill me now but word has gotten out of The Jinsoku's release. Soon someone better will come and seek the very vengeance that I failed to get."

"Tokkuriji? That's at least a 12 hour trip for a civilian." Shoko said, thoughtfully then glanced back at the man, "Even one as determined as you. That means word somehow got out the moment I was let out…_Damn_ you people can gossip." Shoko said releasing the man.

"You're letting me go?" The man asked in surprise.

"Should I kill you instead?" Shoko asked back. The man turned to leave and Shoko turned back to the six ninja behind her. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it when she heard the man's footfalls come to a halt. She turned back.

"I will see you again and then one of us will die." He told her calmly. She stared at him for a moment before bowing slightly. She didn't straighten until he turned and left.

"I was hoping I could get the jump on our target." Shoko said. "But now that word has gotten out, he'll know soon, if he doesn't already."

"It's alright Sho-bachan. We don't need the jump to beat him, we have the famous Jinsoku."

"That's it…" Shikamaru mumbled. "The Jinsoku from Konoha History." Shoko watched as Shikamaru racked his brain for any knowledge on her that he could remember. It only took him a second to realize what that man had been talking about and only a second more to realize just why he had come all this way to cut her head off.

He pointed at her with wide eyes, "Y-You're

"Kobayashi Shoko." Shoko said with an exaggerated smile that was really beginning to hurt her cheeks. She extended her hand to shake his but as predicted he didn't return the gesture. She sighed. "Who is your father, Nara?"

"How did you know I was a Nara?" He asked.

"Lucky guess." Shoko said while Ino and Sakura giggled.

"Shikaku is my father."

"Fantastic! I know Shikaku, he was such a lazy little thing," Shoko said, causing everyone but Shikamaru and Sai, who had disappeared, to snicker. "Oh but he was always one of the best." She finished truthfully. Shikaku was a great shinobi. She had no doubt that by now he must be one of Leaf's best.

She looked Shikamaru over. He was still standing a little on the defensive side. "Your father is a friend of mine. If you're questioning whether or not I'm trust worthy then just ask him." She turned back to Naruto and the others, "I'd stick around but I'm looking for someone and it's getting late." The later it got the more danger her funds were in.

"When are you going to start training me?" Naruto asked, jumping from foot to foot.

"You're not even gonna give me a couple days to enjoy my freedom are you?"

"You can enjoy it while you train me!"

She laughed, "No one enjoys anything while I'm teaching. As a matter of fact, if you aren't crying by the time I'm done with you tomorrow then…well just have to continue until you do."

Naruto's grin began to fall but quickly recovered at the thought of 'severe training'.

"Ookay. Meet me in front of the hospital tomorrow at noon. Sakura should come too." Sakura looked questioningly at her. "You're a medic right?" She nodded and Shoko grinned. "Great! Noon then." She ruffled Sakura's hair before vanishing from sight.

"Wow…she's-

"Fast, yeah I know." Sakura grumbled at Chōji. She was not looking forward to healing a whiney Naruto all day but she had to admit it might be entertaining watching Shoko's training if it was in fact so intense it could make a happy kid like Naruto cry. She smiled at that. Shoko might be tough but she would have a time breaking the unbreakable Naruto.

* * *

She leapt atop one of the many colorful roofs of the market street to try and scope out the most disgusting, lowlife bar she could. Fujiki would probably be there with her money. A few years ago she probably would have just gone to the ninja bar but after the attack by Sound, the bar was gone or moved. Tonight she had been through two bars and each had served Fujiki but he had left them before she had gotten there.

The wind blew and she closed her eyes for a moment and breathed deep then smiled.

"Looking for someone?" He asked in a low voice.

"Yes." She said with a smirk. "He's short, furry, perverted…wears a green hat…probably drinking a bar dry somewhere."

"Ahh, yes." Jiraiya chuckled. "I ran into him at the ninja bar."

"Do you mind pointing me in the right direction? Seems it's not in the same place it used to be." She asked Jiraiya, as she looked out over the market.

"I can do better than that." He held out his arm and she huffed a laugh at him but looped her arm through anyway.

* * *

"I've never seen a raccoon dog drink so much sake…" Kurenai said as she sat with the usual group.

Anko, Raidō, Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, Genma, Kotetsu and Izumo sat at the large table in the back of the bar. Asuma, Raidō, Kotetsu and Izumo were arguing over who's turn it was to pay for the next round, Kakashi was staying out of that argument with his nose in his book as he leaned against the wall at the far end of the table. Gai, Anko, Kurenai and Genma were staring, some in bewilderment, some with a knowing smirk, at the furry animal sitting at the bar currently buying two beautiful women a round of Ping's best sake.

"Or get so much tail." Anko said in amusement.

Asuma had been talking to Raidō but something about a sake drinking raccoon dog brought his attention to Kurenai…he followed her gaze.

"There's only one raccoon dog that I know and if he's here…" Genma started to say with a grin while Asuma frowned in realization. No one else had a chance to say another word, though because…

The doors to the bar flew open, everyone started at the loud noise except the raccoon at the bar, who merely sighed and boredly turned in his seat towards the door. Only to see an apologetic Jiraiya subtly pointing behind Fu. Shoko stood behind him on the bar, seemingly attempting to make her 5 foot nothingness more intimidating as she scowled down at him.

"You are dead." She said to Fujiki.

"If I throw a stick, will you leave?" Fujiki responded before downing the rest of his sake straight from the bottle and almost falling out of his chair.

"You!" Shoko pointed to the two girls giggling beside him, "How old are you?" They both stammered indignantly for a moment, "You know what? I don't care, you're too young. Get outta here!" They both huffed and retreated with as much cool as either could muster up with a legendary criminal pointing a threatening finger at them.

"Well, I figured you'd show up. All the buzz kills do when things are looking good." He slurred.

"Where's the money?" Shoko asked casually while glancing at the floor around him for a suitcase, knowing she was going to be pissed with his answer.

"I mean, I've got my sake. Good sake." He continued, ignoring Shoko. "Got the women…well, had them. The night is young. And then wham!" He said, slamming his paw on the counter for emphasis. "Like a nightmare, there you are!"

"Fu…where's the mon-

"You used to be so much fun." He whined. "I mean, have you even had a good time since you got out?" He asked. She glimpsed at Jiraiya quickly and smirked before remembering her situation. She grabbed him by his scruff and shook.

"Our money! What the fuck did you do with it? Cause it wasn't where I told you to put it. So where is it hm? WHERE'S THE MONEY YOU MISERABLE LITTLE-

"I dunno." He said. She dropped him and he landed on the bar at her feet, rubbing his rear.

"You don't know…That was over _eighty_ years' worth of paychecks and you…you fucking lost it? Get your furry ass up and go find it!" She said.

"So the rumors are true." Shoko blinked at the new voice bringing her back to reality. She quickly remembered she was in a public place and briefly wondered if she could get in trouble for animal abuse. She cleared her throat and turned to face- Sarutobi Asuma.

"Asuma. You've certainly grown since the last ti-

"I can't believe the Hokage actually let you out of your cage." He interrupted, standing from his seat. Kakashi, sensing he tension sighed and pocketed his book.

"You and me both." She said. Here it comes. She knew he wouldn't like the idea of her running around free-ish. He had turned on her the moment the inhumane experiment accusations began and now with Orochimaru, of course he would be upset. She expected it but it still hurt to see him looking at her with such hatred.

She heard Fujiki scrambling to his feet, probably to mouth off to the pissed Asuma. "Fujiki, go."

"Nani? I'm not leaving you here in the middle of a ninja bar…full of ninjas…that want you dead."

"Well now that's not true." Came a new voice. Before Shoko could turn though she was surrounded by toned feminine arms. "Don't worry Fu. I'll protect her from the mean Asuma." Anko said teasingly.

"Anko?" Shoko asked in shock while looking up at her former student who was now a few inches taller than her. Anko was probably the only one who could be one hundred percent sure of Shoko's innocence since she was always around the lab with Orochimaru. Anko smirked at her.

"If I'm little then what are you, _Sensei_?" Anko said punching Shoko in the arm almost knocking her off the bar.

"Heh. I guess so." Shoko mumbled, rubbing her sore arm.

"Why did she let you out? I hope it was for good reason because, myself? I'd rather see the end of the world before seeing you free to pick up where you left off tortu-

"Asuma." Kurenai cut him off sternly.

"It's fine." Shoko said. "He's mad. I suppose now is as good a time as any."

"Mad?" Asuma asked. "I'm not mad at you Shoko. I hate you." He said in a way that made her feel like a child who just didn't get something no matter how much you explained it. It made her mad. More than that, though, it hurt. He hated her.

"I see." She said, "Well, is there something I can do to change your mind?"

"You can go back to prison and stay there." He said sharply.

"Then who would complete my mission? You certainly couldn't. Apparently no one in this village could do what I've been asked to go do and that's why I'm not staring at a stone wall right now. If you don't like it…that's too damn bad. You're a ninja. There'll be a lot of horrible things you'll have to live with. Just be happy I'm on your side." She finished before turning to storm out the door.

She felt the prickle for the second time that day.

The kunai Asuma had thrown stopped inched from the back of her neck and hovered in midair as she turned to look amusedly at Asuma. "Did I teach you nothing?" He glared back. "You will never…ever…touch me with a kunai."

Asuma grabbed his trench blades and smirked at her. Kakashi and Genma stood to stop him but Shoko stopped them.

"He just wants his pride back. You gonna cut me with those butter knives little Asuma?" She chuckles at him.

He was in front of her quicker than anyone could follow, throwing a swipe at her face which she deftly dodge back from. He threw a couple more and she dodged those as well. No one would ever land a hit on her from the front. If she saw them coming she was already gone. She might not have physical strength but she used her size to her advantage. He smirked and swung one more time at her. She dodged again and gasped stepping back a few more times before looking down at her nicked collarbone. The fuck?

He ran to hit her again but instead of dodging, she threw her hand up to grip his wrist and eye the visible blue chakra that extended from his blade.

"Heh…figures. Well, bravo you nicked me." She growled, pressing a hand to her cut while Asuma kept up his smirk and put away his blades. "Yeah you keep smirking like that. Next time you throw something at me I might just fight back."

"Well pretty lady!" Genma said throwing an arm over Shoko's shoulder. "What should I get you to drink? Losers drink free tonight." Shoko punched him in the shoulder and grumbled for him to just get her a sake before turning to Fujiki and giving him a meaningful look. He sighed and left to hunt down their money.

Fortunately the rest of the night went without hitch, if you don't count Genma getting pummled by Anko and Shoko for making perverted comments every two seconds, and Fujiki had returned sometime later with a disturbing story about how he got the money back from the woman who claimed he had given it to her.

Five in the morning saw Fujiki and Shoko stumbling towards home singing songs about Kami only knew what and stopping occasionally to point and laugh at the other bent over with a sick stomach. Jiraiya shook his head while watching them from the roof tops to make sure they got home safely. She had insisted on walking herself home but Jiraiya seemed to remember quite a few times in the past when Shoko and Fujiki were left alone to walk home after leaving a bar. Once they had ended up halfway to Sand before passing out in the forest. Another time they had thought it halarious to knock on Minato and Kushina's door and run away several times during the night until Minato decided he was crazy. And another time they, along with Kushina, proceded to drunkinly teleport/break into the Hyuuga manor and dip the Hyuuga elders toothbrushes in salt. They all three passed out before they could even make it out though and were caught in the morning. The Third was having a hard time keeping a straight face when they were escorted into his office by the Hyuuga leader himself, all three with halfhearted apologetic faces.

Tonight though, they seemed to be too toasted to think of a practical joke or even a good reason to travel to Sand. They just stumbled and shoved their way to the large apartment building and slammed the door shut. Jiraiya shuddered to think what it would be like when Shoko found out Naruto was just as good a practicle joker as her old accomplace Kushina was. Oh, things were going to get interesting soon.

* * *

**Yay! The end of Part One. There will be a two month time difference next chapter. I just couldn't sit and write about days of training Naruto, getting to know the Rookie nine, snoody comments from Asuma and gaining a little more trust with Tsunade. Small things like that. Next part will have canon in it. The ****Nijū Shōtai (Asuma, Shikamaru, Kotestu and Izumo)** go face to face with Hidan Kakuzu. Pein is interested in this Jinsoku of Leaf. Madara will, of course, be in it too and Naruto has picked up a few skills. Also Shoko will be showing hers soon since I've sort of made her a pushover for the past few chapters. Itachi and Kisame...Dia and Tobi (-heh) perhaps!

**Also theres a picture of Shoko, her geta and her weapon in my profile. Go and check it out! This is something I drew after changing her appearence. The picture is what she looks like in the present.**

**R&R Pretty Please =)**

**PS. I am looking for a Beta reader so if you're interested and good with grammar, know a bit about Naruto and don't mind reading my story then send me a message. Thanks!**


	8. Seven

******Seven**

_Time Skip_

The moon was bright this night. It shone down upon Konohagakure with a sense of comfort. Or at least that was how it made Shoko feel, as she stood atop the village gates, looking out over the darkened forest. The only sounds were the ever present nightly sounds of crickets and singing frogs. A slight breeze lifted her long mahogany hair and she absently reached a hand up to hold the front of her rice hat steady.

Tonight she would be leaving again, like she had several times over the past month but this time, without an escort squad. She would be alone in her search for Uchiha Madara. Grant it, it would be a short one if she failed to find him.

Tsunade had gotten word; whispers of the elder Uchiha's whereabouts just outside the border of Fire Country in a small village north of Rain.

Who in the world would have the ability to spot and identify him, much less be willing to send word back to Konoha, Shoko couldn't say. It seemed odd to her. Suspicious, as it did to the others who knew about the anonymous tip. She knew that if Madara didn't want to be spotted, he wouldn't be. She also knew that he was aware of her attempts to hunt him down and if he had indeed let someone spot him and send word or if he, himself, had arranged for someone to send word then it was very obviously a trap.

She didn't mind it. The whole point was to find and eliminate him. If he wanted to lead her to him, trap or no, she wouldn't complain. She would tread carefully and keep her fingers crossed that when they met she would be the victor.

It hadn't taken much to convince Tsunade to allow her to go it alone. Two months of good behavior had provided a little more trust between the two kunoichi. Tsunade removed her seal but only under the agreement that Shoko provide some of her own chakra for a summoning scroll which would allow Tsunade to be able to summon Shoko back from anywhere in the world. The only thing was that the scroll could only be used once before the need to be replaced with a new one.

Hunting with Team Kakashi had been understandable as she had yet to gain any trust but now that she had, the argument of Naruto's safety came to play. If indeed Madara was involved in Akatsuki and their goals and he was able to defeat Shoko and Kakashi then Sakura, Sai and Naruto wouldn't stand a chance against him and Naruto would surely be taken.

So Tsunade and unsurprisingly The Elders, who would do anything to keep the Kyuubi in the village, agreed to let Shoko hunt for him alone, sans the summoning jutsu.

Shoko looked down at her furry companion who was uncharacteristically silent and serious as he glanced sideways at her. Neither had voiced it but this time felt different than all the other fleeting rumors. Something was pushing down on her insides and making her feel nervous.

She jerked her head in a gestured order to move out and then vanished. Fujiki shouldered his tessen and vanished a second later.

For the first time she could actually move without limits. There was no one to slow her down and Fujiki was good at keeping pace. He had to be. A century old companion of Shoko's would no doubt have mastered speed quickly.

She smiled when she felt his familiar presence coming up behind her. This journey would take a normal ninja at least 3 days. Shoko and Fujiki could make it in a little over one without rest. Teleporting would have been out of the question. Though her _Kasoku Suru no Jutsu __**(1)**_ used little chakra, a distance like the one they had to travel would use more than she could afford if facing off with the most powerful ninja alive. Coupled with the fact that she had never been to this village and was merely following directions to it, trying to teleport them there now would probably end horribly. The only option was to travel the normal way, which Shoko didn't mind in the least. She relished every moment in the outdoors, every scent of nature, every drop of rain, and every cool breeze.

Shoko's mind wondered to Naruto. She had been putting him through the roughest training she could manage. The damn kid never once cried. He had whined enough during the first week to make Shoko cry though. After that it had been all uphill. He was an incredibly fast learner with his clones. Shoko never could make clones so she never realized just how handy they could be when learning things.

It had only taken Naruto four days to learn an S-Class wind jutsu which had impressed Shoko. The very same jutsu had taken her weeks to master, but she couldn't use herself in comparison. She never really was a hard worker unless it came to something she was creating or something that caught her interest.

After two months of training Naruto had mastered Minato's _Hiraishin no Jutsu __**(2)**_ with the promise that he would forever keep it to himself until he had a son or daughter of his own. He had also mastered several A and B level wind jutsus with her help as well as Asuma's, when she wasn't around. After a while Shoko decided to work on his Taijutsu which was her main fighting style. She even taught him _Kubi Burēkā __**(3)**_, a move that had successfully gotten her a place in Mist's Bingo Books.

It was a bounty that had been originally placed by Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage when she'd attempted to kill him after he sent a horde of Mist hunter-nin to hunt her down for reasons unknown to her.

She had just left the Leaf to travel North and was 'wandering' at the time so fighting off several hunter-nin was impossible for anyone to do alone. Thankfully she was fast and had escaped but Shoko had a serious problem with grudges. She'd held one for Yagura for months until she finally was able to get close enough to him to actually make an attempt on his life; an attempt that failed miserably.

He'd obviously been receiving help from someone who knew not only common knowledge of her skills but really knew her and her fighting style. A previous opponent perhaps. When she had fought him after taking out his guards, she soon found, to her chagrin, that she had absolutely nothing up her sleeve. He'd known about her immortality, her speed and her weapons. Anyone who could read a book knew about that. However, Yagura also knew all of her jutsu and even the hand to hand moves she favored. He'd been ready and blocked them all, save for her _Kubi Burēkā_ which would have killed him, had he not had a tailed beast sealed within him, prepared to heal him at all costs. After that move she had awaked the Three Tails. And after taking a total beating from the possessed jinchūriki, she decided enough was enough and vanished before he could rip her to pieces…because Shoko only ever stuck around if she had the upper hand. She usually did, but every once in a while something like that would happen and she would have to leave while her dignity was still intact.

She never found his accomplice and soon none of it mattered because little had she known, imprisonment was right around the corner.

She'd begun to teach Naruto how to summon his element without hand signs but this very mission had cut them short on that lesson.

And of course during their free time, houses were toilet papered and they had even managed to fill Kakashi's whole apartment with dried leaves with the help of Kiba and Akamaru.

Fujiki had spent most of his time at the ninja bar with Genma, Kakashi and the others while Shoko busted her ass training Naruto day and night.

Sakura had stuck by her and healed Naruto's injuries and Sai too hung out, usually drawing the most magnificent pictures Shoko had ever seen, despite the fact that most were proof that she was attempting to murder a Leaf-nin.

Shikaku had assured Shikamaru that Shoko was an ally despite the beliefs of many other villagers, the Nara had always stood by her as well as the Akimichi, the Aburame and the Inuzuka. The Hyūga and Yamanaka were a different story though. Ino had decided that Shoko wasn't so bad, apparently and chose to disregard her own clan's warnings and tag along with her team, minus Asuma.

Jiraiya had left to follow leads on the Akatsuki and had been gone for most of the two months. He had offered to help Team Kakashi with the search for Madara but Shoko declined. It would be easier and quicker if they were able to scout more places at once.

So far all roads led to dead ends for her and Jiraiya hadn't gotten any more information on Madara.

For now Team Kakashi could go back to searching for Uchiha Sasuke and Orochimaru while she hunted for Madara.

Excitement filled her stomach with the fleeting thought of just recklessly going after whatever lead fell into her hands first. Whether it be Uchiha Madara's whereabouts or Orochimaru or even Akatsuki. She was restless and had been looking for a challenge since she was released. So far all they had encountered where a few rebel mercenaries, some rogue-nin, some Rock-nin, a few bounty hunters with a thing for the Copy ninja and the Jinsoku as well as one masterless samurai.

She knew there would be chaos from the Elders if she happened upon Orochimaru first but it wouldn't hurt to ask about him as well so long as she was going to be asking about high ranking criminal locations.

Mind made up, she smiled.

Better to ask for forgiveness than for permission, though she knew she would get neither.

"Do you smell that?" Fujiki asked. It had been about half an hour since they started out and already someone was looking for a confrontation.

"Smell…you mean something besides you?" Shoko taunted as they halted on a large tree branch simultaneously.

"No." Fujiki said absently while sniffing the air and turning to look back eastward, where they had been coming from. "Someone's following us-no…someone's chasing us." He scowled at the trees they had previously traveled through.

"Akatsuki?" Shoko asked hopefully.

"No, think closer to home."

Shoko narrowed her eyes at the quiet forest in front of them. "How far are they and how many?"

"Not too far and how the hell should I know how many?"

"Oh I don't know," Shoko began as they bounded away with a slightly quicker pace, "Maybe because you can tell how many bottles of sake a pub has in stock before you even enter the village it's in. I supposed I've overestimated your skills once again."

He growled at her, "Ok. No more than…two squads."

Shoko halted, "Alright then, let's see what they want."

"You want to wait around and see what ROOT want from us? I can tell you what they want."

"It's okay Fu…if you're scared you can always dismiss yourself. Yalilcoward."

Fujiki bristled at Shoko as they halted. She just smirked at him.

Fujiki wouldn't dismiss himself. Ever. He would die before leaving Shoko to fight a battle on her own. She knew that and it was why she suffered through his nearly intolerable companionship. She would give her life for that perverted rodent. Of course, she'd never tell him that.

She leapt to ground level and leaned against the tree they had stopped on, lowering her hat a bit more then crossing her arms while Fujiki remained on his perch, glaring at the emptiness of the forest.

A few moments of silence later had Shoko and Fujiki surrounded by sixteen of Danzō's ROOT.

The air was tense as each ANBU held their own weapon at the ready.

"No more than two squads, huh?"

* * *

_**(1)**Kasoku Suru no Jutsu_ is Shoko's own creation which allows her to manipulate time and space without the need for hand signs. She is able to teleport during battle which makes her seem even quicker than she already is. This jutsu is how she got the title of _Konoha's Jinsoku_.

_**(2)**Hiraishin no Jutsu _is Minato's own creation and most likely the reason for his name _Konoha's Yellow Flash. _It's quite different than Shoko's if you would like to read about it then I suggest Narutopedia.

_**(3)**Kubi Burēkā _(neck breaker) is a Taijutsu move created by Shoko in which she uses her Kasoku Suru no Jutsu to appear beneath an opponent with a sweep kick, once it lands and the opponent is falling forward she uses her leg to kick straight up, landing a blow beneath the chin and successfully breaking their neck. This can be used with Hiraishin no Jutsu as well.


	9. Eight

**Side Note: **Please be aware that reviews give me as well as other fellow story writers more motivation to update. I feel better knowing that people are actually reading it and want to know what happens next. Thank you to the few who have reviewed! It means so much to me to hear you appreciate my story!

**Eight**

_Holding the title_

"Are you kids lost? This forest _is_ pretty big."

"Kobayashi Shoko." A captain inquired. He wore a white cloak and an otter mask.

She looked down at herself then looked back to the speaking ANBU. "Last time I checked. Is there something I can do for you, Kawauso **(1)**?"

"_Uchiha_...Kobayashi Shoko?"

"...Heh. I probably should have gotten that taken care of. Just been a little lazy."

"Like 80 years of lazy..." Fujiki added, annoyed. Shoko chuckled awkwardly.

"We're under orders to detain any and all Uchiha by any means necessary." The otter ANBU informed her.

"Ah. A loophole." Leave it to Danzō to find one. More so, he had patiently waited for two months for her to gain Tsunade's trust and had venture out alone before sending his minions. Clever. "Well, I suppose even if I offer to come willingly..."

"We would still kill you...hai."

Shoko laughed, "Did ya hear that Fu? They sound confident." Fujiki 'tch'd and gripped his tessen. "I'm sorry Kawauso, but we don't have time to weigh egos. We've a mission to complete. Assigned by the Ho-ka-ge...the real one. You remember her, yeah?"

Just as she finished Fujiki leapt at the branch behind her and swiped his fan toward the three ANBU in her blind spot. A powerful wind blew through the forest, forcing them to abandon their positions.

Shoko gripped her tekko-kagi gloves and vanished, appearing in front of the otter ANBU and swiping at his mask. He blocked and kicked out at her.

_"Futon: Fujin!"_ **(2)**Winds condensed with electricity, seemingly blasted from her in every direction knocking a few ANBU that had advanced to closely into trees. There was little chance she could fight them all and win, even with Fujiki's help but she would fight until she no longer had the upper hand, after which she would simply grab Fujiki and leave like she always did when things didn't go her way. She had been that way ever since she was demoted from 'Yogo-Sha.' And why shouldn't she? She possessed the ability to. It might seem like a cowardly move to some but there weren't too many who would stick around to die in such a manner if they had the ability to simply vanish from sight and live to fight more important battles another day. ROOT scum didn't deserve the satisfaction of being her end. Danzō didn't deserve it. In all her life she hadn't met anyone who did deserve it. If she had then perhaps she would stick around for the grand finale. Oh and her death would certainly be a grand finale. She was always dramatic that way. With her constant desire for dramatic entrances, albeit most were fashionably late, it was only right to have a dramatic exit.

The only good thing about being the object of desire for a flock of 'enemy' ninja was the 'enemy's' reluctance to use ninjutsu on you for fear of hitting their own companions. Of course, with ROOT they used any means necessary which meant most of the time 'companion' didn't register in their minds but in Shoko's case, she was formidable. She didn't want to brag but even ROOT knew that while confronting someone of Yogo-Sha stature, more was always better.

Shoko on the other hand could let loose if she had wanted. Fujiki was intelligent enough to stay out of her way, had she decided enough was enough. If they had any chance at all of winning this fight then she would need to take out more than one at a time, which was where the small lake a few meters away came in handy. She glanced at Fujiki and only took off after catching his eye. He would know that unless she had made a grab for him or a gesture for him to follow then his job was to remain there and that she would be back for him.

The otter captain whom she had been mid fight with, along with seven others were right behind her. She didn't take off full speed since losing them wasn't her goal but she did make sure to keep far enough ahead as well as weaving through as many obstacles as she could in order to dodge the paralysis jutsus being aimed at her.

Fujiki was holding off a few and she had left at least five unconscious or at least unable to fight, on the ground after taking them by surprise with _Fujin_. She couldn't use it again though. _Fujin _was only usable in assistance with her kekkei genkai which she had no plans on fully using ever again. The consequences it had on her body were too dire. Perhaps in her final battle.

Her feet hit the surface of the lake and she continued running until she had almost reached the middle. Her eight pursuers followed, just what she wanted. She held back a smirk. The thing about ROOT was, they were too robotic to have minds of their own. Had they been thinking even a little, of self-preservation instead of elimination then perhaps they wouldn't have followed her out here.

"So class, can anyone tell me what water is good for?"

The ninja glanced around, a little thrown off by her demeanor when she was so clearly outnumbered. She saw a couple shift, probably water users, thinking of canceling out whatever water jutsu she was prepared to perform.

"Hm...okay. Here's a hint." She didn't need to but she made the sign of the ox and a moment later, realization dawned on a few faces. Really, didn't Danzō inform them of her affinity? She might use wind a lot but it wasn't her main element.

It was too late for the ANBU though, they had come to the middle of the lake with her. Unless they had the ability to fly, which would be awesome, then their fate was inevitable. She would use a simple B-Rank jutsu since, with the availability of water, even the lightest lightning jutsu would render them unconscious. In the middle of a lake, they had little hope of waking up before they drowned and Shoko had little motivation to save them before they did. They had attacked her with the intent to end her. Leaf or no, she refused to show an enemy mercy. Danzō wouldn't comment to Tsunade about any of his lost minions, if he even cared.

"_Raiton: Denki Unagi"_**(3) **Jagged blue lightning in the shape of a serpent shot from her left palm straight toward the water. She channeled the electricity through her own body to keep it from damaging herself. Eight ninja went rigid with the shocks. "Conducting electricity." She sighed and vanished before all eight ninja sunk into the frigid water. If any survived then she'd give that one an A- for setting the bar.

Elsewhere, Fujiki, not one to kill so mercilessly, had rendered all three of his opponents unconscious. Shoko narrowed her eyes when he limped toward her.

"Nothin a little sake won't fix." He assured her. She debated whether or not to make a vet joke but decided against it since he didn't look to be in a good mood. She turned to the still living ANBU. "Don't." He scolded. He knew she was intending on finishing the job. If she didn't they would only keep coming after them but ROOT were like weeds, no matter how many died, somehow more would take their place. Killing these, who were now defenseless, was inhumane and unnecessary.

"Come on then, I don't wanna look at em anymore." She growled and sped off.

Little did either of them know, they were being watched from the shadows.

"Pein will want to see how she handled herself with so many opponents." "**Hm, yes. It's too bad. She would have been mouthwatering.**" Zetsu commented to himself. "There are plenty snacks around and Leaf-nin are all delectable." His black half smiled, warping his face into an evil smirk.

* * *

After reaching the village, Fujiki took off toward the first bar he spotted with the promise to ask around while there.

Shoko made for the message station to see what she could find out about any suspicious characters sending word out to Konoha.

"No. I don't remember seeing anyone 'suspicious' and no one came in with anything for Konoha on my shift the past week or so. Matter of fact I can't recall the last time anyone in this village sent a message to the Leaf." The manager of the station told her as he eyed her warily, "Say you look just like-

"Yeah, I get that sometimes." She said, cutting him off. He knew who she was but she wasn't going to confirm it. It would only scare him off and she needed answers.

"Actually there were some suspicious characters in town about four days ago." The manager informed her, offhandedly. "They never came in here though. A few gang members or some mercenary type I suppose." She raised a brow for him to elaborate. "Well, I only figured since they were all in the same garb."

"What..."

"Some uh...black cloaks with red on them. Hats...kind of like yours only, not."

Shoko pursed her lips. "Do you know why they were here?"

"Nope just glimpsed them passing by is all. They were gone by the very next day though."

"Do you remember what they looked like? How many?"

He eyed her again for a moment before shrugging, "I saw four of them. I don't know what they looked like...three were wearing the hats, one of the hat wearers was taller than anyone I've ever seen...another had long blonde hair and the other had long dark hair, I think. The only one without a hat was wearing a bright orange mask."

She closed her eyes a moment. She was fairly certain one of them was Deidara. The tall one could be Kisame. He was the tallest bastard she'd ever seen too. The other two could be anyone but Hoshigaki Kisame was known to travel with Uchiha Itachi.

She bowed to the man slightly, and left.

* * *

Shoko entered the bar she had seen Fujiki saunter up to earlier and scoped him out; ignoring the intense looks she was receiving. She got them everywhere she went, whether it was because she was an attractive female or because she was a notorious criminal. Who she was, was clear as a bell. If her eyes didn't give her away her clothing and the fact that she traveled with a talking Tanuki, did. She wasn't bothered by recognitions. Not many would do anything about it and the ones brave or foolish enough that would, usually were the same vermin who would commend her on her 'crimes.'

It didn't take long to spot the only furry, talking customer.

She sat next to him and he slid a small cup of sake to her without really acknowledging her presence. She thanked him. Fujiki was the only one she was actually willing to say the words 'thank you' to.

"Akatsuki were here." She said quietly over her cup.

"I heard. That can't be a coincidence."

"Mm. Which means he's more than likely involved with them."

"Why would they send a message out to Konoha? Why lore us? We were searching for him anyway."

"Maybe Madara _isn't_ with them...maybe they just wanted Naruto, _maybe _that's why they haven't attacked yet. Because he isn't with us."

"Or maybe they're just waiting for us to leave the village." Fujiki glanced over his shoulder. "The guy over there says there were four of em. I know you're itching for a good fight but we can't even _defend_ against four Akatsuki. It isn't feasible." Fujiki said, pouring her more sake.

"It doesn't matter. It's not like they could catch us if I don't want to be caught."

Fujiki sighed, "Sho you can't keep being so overconfident in your abilities."

"I'm not _overestimating myself _Fujiki. Maybe you should stop underestimating me. Nothing can-

"You've been gone for fifteen years. You're not top shape. You can tell whoever you want that you are but I know better. _No one_...not even an immortal ninja can spend 15 years in the conditions that you did and just be fine after a mere two months. You've been overexerting yourself training Minato's boy and you're still exhausted from the earlier fight with Danzō's ninja."

She stared at him angrily for a moment. "Exhausted? No I'm not." He shot her a sideways looks. "I'm fucking not!" She barked, gaining a few curious and wary glances. The lackadaisical raccoon was the only one who seemed unaffected by the outburst. "If they're waiting, let them fucking come then. I'll kill them all." She mentally snorted at herself. That would never happen. Fujiki was right. At this point she probably couldn't take one decent Akatsuki, much less four. There was nothing worse than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong. She huffed and scrambled out of her chair. "I'm getting a room. Come find me when you feel a little more confident in your summoner's abilities."

He sighed and held his paw up for another bottle of sake. He didn't plan on going near the motel anytime soon. When Shoko threw a tantrum, she really threw it and various other objects, including him.

* * *

They loitered around the village for three days while Shoko rested in between scouting and gathering information on the suspicious gang members.

Apparently they had kept to themselves and were only there for a few hours. There was no point in having gone after them since no one knew where they had come from or where they were heading when they left and Fujiki stuck by the idea that they were somewhere near and waiting for the two of them to leave before making a move.

Shoko tried meditating and stretched her senses as far as she could, the way Hashirama had taught her so long ago but she was never good at it. She could only sense so far before it just became painful. All she could detect were a few random chakra signatures, probably from common ninja or jutsu practitioners but nothing powerful enough to be an Akatsuki. Even one concealing their chakra, a small amount would give away the potency of it.

"I need a Hyūga's what I need." She mumbled while she sat in the lotus position with a huge headache and a defeated slump.

"It's too bad they all despise you." Fujiki gibed, walking through the doors of their hotel room with two takeout boxes of Kami only knew what. This town certainly wasn't the cleanest, especially when it came to the market streets. She shuddered and resumed her headache inducing meditation.

"Uh uh...eat." He threw a pair of chopsticks at her. She caught them without opening her eyes and blew out a frustrated breath before hoisting herself up and dragging her feet to the tiny table and digging into the mushy...stuff Fujiki had so kindly brought back. "Anything?"

She shot him an annoyed look, "Obviously not. We need to leave soon before Tsunade sends hunters since we've got two days before our time limits up."

"M." Fujiki grunted.

"Look, I can teleport us in the very least, if they do attack. That won't be too exhausting for my feeble, decrepit body." Shoko said in bitter sarcasm.

"You can...but they're Akatsuki. The most powerful, active mercenary group today. They would've done their research. Uchiha Itachi could have even filled them in on Konoha knowledge about you. He was old enough to remember you and I'm sure he'd have been told stories, even more so than other children. He's an Uchiha after all." She gave him a 'so-what' look. "My point is; they probably wouldn't have sent members who wouldn't be able to detain you if that is what they want to do. Maybe-

"Don't you say it." She sneered.

"Well you need to hear it because...shit, you have one tremendous ego and you could use a little deflation. Maybe they have someone just as fast or...maybe even faster than you or even someone who can teleport like you can."

"Impossible." She said pushing her food away in disgust. Disgust from the appearance of the 'noodle' concoction or disgust from what Fujiki had just suggested, she wasn't sure. Maybe both. "Unless Madara is one of them, which I'm beginning to doubt. But no one..." She began. "No one is faster. No one will ever be faster than I am even with time/space jutsu. Equally, maybe...unlikely but maybe...but faster? No. Don't say shit like that. It's ludicrous."

"And you're severely pompous."

She growled and stormed to the window to look out. It was almost twilight. "I can be overpowered, outnumbered, outsmarted…outclassed. Hell, I can even be killed despite this double edged jutsu I use. Easily even. But I cannot- will not be- out…momentumed..."

"Outmaneuvered?"

"Whatever…Just let me have that. It's my strength. It's what makes me great. And I'm thoroughly aware that it's all I got so don't call me pompous because I'm my worst critic just like every other normal person but I know what I'm good at and Kami help anyone who doubts it." She said pacing, then threw a look at Fujiki and added, "Even you."

"I'm just sayin."

There was a good three minutes of eerie silence and Fujiki was just about to excuse himself to the pub down the road when Shoko spoke.

"Let's go. I haven't felt anything. If they were the ones who sent the tip then they sent it for Naruto. They're probably long gone."

"It's night." Fujiki informed her.

"So what? We travel at night all the time."

"Yeah but if you're wrong-

"I'm not fucking wrong!" She snapped, grabbing her belongings and stuffing them into her duffle all the while glaring at the exhausted raccoon dog. "I'm…almost never wrong." She grumbled quietly.

* * *

"Never huh." Fujiki mumbled under his breath. Shoko heard though and whipped her head around to glare at him.

"I said almost never." She retorted. She glanced up at the moon and thanked whatever hateful Kami that had decided to top this cake with so much icing she wanted to gag.

"Can I fucking help you?" She drawled with disinterested glances at the four Akatsuki members who stood between herself and Fujiki.

* * *

(1) Kawauso – otter

(2) Futon: Fujin – A-Rank – chakra consuming wind jutsu used by members of the Kobayashi clan. It sends a powerful blast of winds using the caster's body as its main source of energy, allowing the winds to expel in a complete circle around the caster. It's only obtainable through the Kobayashi bloodlimit so it's unable to be copied. Shoko's kekkei genkai hasn't been revealed yet but I think it's safe to say it has to do with the atmosphere or weather.

(3) Raiton: Denki Unagi – B Rank- Lightening jutsu. (Electric Eel)


	10. Quick Author's Note

**Side Note: **Please be aware that reviews give me as well as other fellow story writers more motivation to update. I feel better knowing that people are actually reading it and want to know what happens next. Thank you to the few who have reviewed! It means so much to me to hear you appreciate my story!

Also I've made a poll on my profile page in regards to the conclusion of my story. I've no problem in going in the direction that my readers prefer so if there isn't an option that appeals to you please by all means send me a message or a review and let me know of any idea you may have brewing. I'm open to anything!...well almost anything hehe.

Thank you for your time and patience and like I've said before I have plenty of this story written. Updates are only a matter of feedback. Thanks so much!

WriteroftehStories


	11. Nine

**Nine**

_Wrong again_

_"Never, huh?" Fujiki mumbled under his breath. Shoko heard though and looked past the orange masked nin to scowl at him._

_"I said 'almost never'." She retorted. She glanced up at the moon and thanked whatever hateful Kami that had decided to top this cake with so much icing she wanted to gag._

_"Can I fucking help you?" She drawled with disinterested glances at the four Akatsuki members who stood between herself and Fujiki. _

At one point during this mission she would have loved to play along and fight with these guys before poofing away and leaving them in the dust, but that was days ago. Her mood was dark now; the food in the village sucked, her ego was hurt after Fujiki 'deflated it' and now she could tell that Madara was not one of these Akatsuki that had sent a lore, if he was even in it at all. The only mysterious nin here was Orange Mask. Something about his chakra signature was odd. It was more steady than it should be, considering the nin himself, was jumping from foot to foot like Naruto would when begging to be fed. Shoko took note of this and promised herself to look into anything any country had on him since Konoha had nothing. He might seem like a nut-case but he was wearing Akatsuki garb so he wasn't to be taken lightly.

"You can come with us, Kobayashi Shoko. Leader-sama would like to speak with you." Itachi said in a smooth, cold, even tone.

"Hm, I would never put myself in the position of being defenceless, in the middle of enemy territory, surrounded by enemy nin, without having informed my Hokage first." She stretched as if unworried aboutbeing cut off by Akatsuki.

"Your Hokage doesn't care what happens to you, Kobayashi."

"Aw, that's mean to say. What makes you think that?"

"She only let you out to hunt down some Uchiha, yeah. She doesn't care what happens to _you_." Deidara said. She briefly wondered how he knew that since even the civilians of Leaf were not given that information. Hell, most of the ninja hadn't known that. If everyone knew Madara was alive, chaos would surely ensue.

"Is that not every shinobi's job?" Itachi asked her. "They're ordered to complete a mission. If they die then someone will replace them."

"Not me." She stated, "I'm indispensable. Leaf seems to think I'm the only one for the job. There wouldn't be a replacement, just many unavoidable deaths." Shoko shrugged with a smile and chanced a glance at Fujiki who stood behind the line of black and red cloaks.

Had they assumed Shoko wouldn't teleport without him? All he had to do was poof away. Idiots.

"Fujiki, dismiss yourself."

"No. Not until you get out of here. I'm not leaving."

"I'm fine you little son of a bitch. I'll leave the moment you do."

"You first."

"I'm not leaving until you do!" She yelled with a twitching brow.

A chuckle brought her attention to the tallest Akatsuki.

"Somethin amusing to you, Chuckles?"

"It's good to see ya above ground is all, little hellcat." Kisame spoke with a huge toothy grin.

Shoko grunted, "Well if you're my welcome party then allow me to crawl back into my confinements."

"Aw, don't be like that sweet thing! We came all the way here to see ya!" His fake pout ruined by his perminately feral grin.

"Who is your ringleader? What does he require the tailed beasts for?" She demanded.

"You are in no position to ask questions." Itachi responded indifferently.

"Is this the Jinsuko, Deidara-senpai? She's _sooo_ pretty! Are you sure she's the scary ninja we're supposed to be looking for. Maybe we should check her ID!" She pursed her lips to keep from laughing. How had this one gotten into the most powerful group of mercenaries to date?

"Hey Tobi?" Deidara said.

"Yesss, Senpai?"

"You get the squirrel. Just let the grownups handle the antique."

"The what?" Fujiki and Shoko burst out simultaneously. "Hey you- You little brat." Shoko stammered while pointing at him as her other hand flew to her hip. "Better watch your mouth, callin me an antique," She grumbled. "Would you call your grandmother an antique? hm?"

Deidara snorted, "My grandmother would call you an antique, yeah." He said and then smirked at the sound of her outraged gasp.

"Eh, Shoko..." Fujiki began, subtley waving his paws at his sides in a 'stop it' gesture. He knew where this was going and he was attempting to calm her by sending constant warning glances her way.

She ignored him. "You better start flyin away now because no amount of explosives is gonna sa-

She vanished, mid-sentence and all four Akatsuki turned to look at Fujiki who's own expression went from 'shut the hell up before you piss off four Akastuki' look to a look of pure confusion, to one of realization and finally stopped at smug.

"Heh" Was all he allowed before he too poofed out of existence with a small cloud of autumn leaves.

"Coward, yeah." Deidara said, still looking a little confused.

"No, she was summoned away. Either she missed her time limit or something is happening in Leaf that required her attendance." Itachi corrected.

"Well that's a week of my life I'll never get back." Deidara grumbled, adjusting his kasa.

"Don't worry Senpai, I won't let the pretty lady get away next time." Tobi exclaimed, cheerfully, though really, he was finding more and more reason to destroy the Leaf and that irritating Hokage.

* * *

"-ve you-ya...ya little son of a b- Eh?" Shoko turned a 360, observing her new surroundings which was difficult since the entire room was bathed in darkness. Her gaze stopped on an angry looking Hokage. "Why are the lights out? And what the hell happened to your window?" She asked. The window pane just behind her desk was smashed. She glass lay inside the room on the floor, telling Shoko that this time someone had entered her room inappropriately instead of the common exit of being propelled out by Tsunade, herself. Then she remembered something. "FU!"

"You two really should stop bickering so often. Do you ever get anything done when you're gone?" Tsunade asked angrily, misundertstanding her previous threat. Shoko had nipped are thumb and slammed a palm on the desk.

A poof of smoke later and Fujiki was looking amusidly at her, "Worried about me?"

"Tch" Shoko responded, "Yea, we do get a lot done. What happened here?"

"You should brush up on your Yogo-Sha skills." Tsunade stated, arms across her chest.

"Well I wasn't asked to guard the Hokage, was I?

Tsunade huffed before filling Shoko in on Naruto's last mission. He and the rest of Team Yamato had to travel to the Fire Temple to investigate the recent grave robberies. While they they found out that four bodies of the former twelve Guardians had been stolen as well as the story behind Naruto's new friend Sora whom had been the one to break through her window and make an attemptt on her life.

The intruders had just invaded the village and raised a barrier around it, presumabley to keep it's occupants in. Naruto had gone after Sora who fled upon his failed assassination attempt and the village was being called to a level 2 alert though soon that would need to be switched to a level one. Tsunade believed that somehow the two were connected.

"I need you to go to the front lines, wherever they are and help defend the village. I know you're still bitter about what has happened but I need you Sho. Naruto needs you as well as the rest of them. Please."

"Hai." Shoko stretched her senses to locate the majority of the strongest signatures. She opened her eyes and touched Fu's rice hat, teleporting them to the front gates where Genma, Kotestu, Izumo and most of the Rookie nine were, staring into a white light and listening to someone ramble about having no need for two kings and their goal to eliminate the Hokage so that the Land of Fire could unite as one under one ruler.

"When did you get here?" Genma asked under his breath to Shoko who appeared right beside him.

"Just now."

"How did you get in, these defense barriers are keeping everyone in here."

"Tsunade used the scroll to summon me."

Just then, four figures stepped into view. Three men and a beautiful woman.

"Kobayashi? I was under the impression you were in prison for eternityty." The white haired man stated with narrowed eyes. He had a scar across his face, from what she could see and carried a staff. He reminded her of Jiraiya.

"Do I know you?" She asked him. He did look familiar but she wasn't able to place him.

"You don't remember me? I must say, it does hurt a man's feelings when he isn't recognized by such a beautiful woman from his past, Yūgana Neko-chan."

Her eyes went wide for a second and the hairs on her arms stood, "Kasuma?" It sure was him, sans the scar and long white hair. His face had, at one time been flawless and his hair dark and short. He was one of the ninja from the Fire Temple. She knew him as a younger man and remembered introducing him and Chikiru to the young Asuma when he traveled with her while she trained him to 'becomea protecter'. Asuma had always wanted to be a protector like she had been. He wanted to be famous and make his father proud. She supposed since Yogo-Sha were no more and since he had fought so often with his father, the Third, that he decided to go to the temple and that was when the 12 assembled.

But why was he here and who were these other three? Was he the grave-robber?

"Hai, it's been forever since I've set eyes on such a lovely face." She wasn't in the mood for flattery, especially from a little boy who used to swear she was the ugliest old hag he ever saw.

"Why are you here? Why steal the Guardian's bodies, Kasuma? And why are you using Sora to make an attempted on the Hokage!"

"I am here to finish the job that failed ten years ago." Shoko didn't know what this was about. She had been absent but Kakashi had mentioned to her weeks ago that Asuma had left while she was in prison and joined the 12 Guardians. At some point they split into two idealistic groups and apparently Kasuma was on the side who believed there should only be one 'king'.

"I've been out of the loop so you'll have to forgive me, but killing the Hokage will do nothing for your cause. As long as there are loyal Konoha nin there will _always_be a Hokage." She stated.

"That is where Kitane, Nauma, Seito and Tōu come in. Or their living corpses at least."

Those four, Shoko knew where Fire Temples most powerful lightning users. She had trained with them long ago. To raise those four... The barrier. Where they planning on using the Limelight? That was a mythical jutsu. She's never heard of anyone actually using it. Something like that would destroy the village and all of it's occupants. It seemed Kasuma had this all figured out.

If they were allowed to finish the jutsu then everyone inside the barrier would be incinerated. It was, after all, said to be the most powerful Lightning jutsu know to ninja.

She was about to open her mouth and concur but the larger man leapt into the air while preforming a series of hand signals.

"Doton: Uitenpen!" (1) The earth flew up inches infront of them and Shoko only had a fraction of a second to make a move. She bit both thumbs and knelt, pushing both hands into the ground after making a hand sign.

"Kuchiyose: Rashōmon!" (2) One gate of Rashoumon broke halfway through the ground and blocked the majority on the earth that was sure to crush them. It wasn't all three or even a whole one but it was still a feat to even be able to summon Rashoumon without another nin's assistance much less at a seconds notice, so she mentally patted herself on the back.

Genma spared a sideways glance and a smile but he didn't have a chance to say anything else because what could only be explained as zombie shinobi started digging their way to the surface of the mounds of dirt and walking toward them.

"What. The. Fuck." Izumo said, taking a defensive stance.

"Fu, follow them." Shoko called and pointed at the four retreating shinobi. Fujiki nodded and took off after them.

"Destroy them with jutsu, using weapons probably wont work." Genma said, scratching his head.

"See, watching too many zombie movies might not be such a bad thing." Shoko laughed at him before catching Anko's eye and practically dancing through a crowd of zombies. The flock of mindless shinobi turned to follow the woman when she leapt atop a lightpole and looked back at Anko who still had her attention on Shoko. She hoped Anko would remember this after so long. They had practiced this move when she was just a genin because even such a simple katon would work in correspondance to Shoko's lightning prison. She turned to look down at the large group of dead shinobi who had surrounded her perch and were scrambling to reach her.

"Raika Hōrai no Jutsu!" Once again jagged lightning shot out from her hands, only this time there was more of it. It swiftly spread through the group of walking dead and stunned them into stillness. Anko promptly responded.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" A giant fireball flew toward the stunned living corpses as Shoko leapt away. They had no choice but to stand their ground though as a huge explosion of fire and electricity sounded through the village.

Anko and Shoko laughed manically and went about destroying zombies completely ignoring the looks and head shakes they were getting.

Soon, it was apparent that no matter how many zombies were destroyed, more were just going to show up; an irritating metaphor for what Itachi had told her not two hours before about shinobi. Even more aggravating was that she had lost her hat somewhere in the melee and her robe that she never took off unless she was seriously going to battle, was torn at the bottom. She had a similar one in her wardrobe at the apartment building but it had an Uchiha fan embroidered to the back collar. No one could see it with her hair down but it was still there nonetheless, so she favored the plain one.

"Genma!" She yelled from behind him. "There'r too many! They just keep coming." She grunted when a stray with a sword took advantage of her displaced attention and stabbed a katana through her side. Genma threw a senbon at him with an exploding tag tied around the middle of it. It lodged into the zombie's head just as Shoko kicked him away from her. It exploded a few feet away and the zombie fell- headless- to the ground.

Battles between numerous shinobi were more difficult to take part in than battles between solo shinobi or even a team. Numbers led to confusion. It wasn't as easy to sense presences when presences where all around, so it was fairly easy to sneak up on someone which was why foolish mistakes like the one Shoko had just made by taking her attention away from the enemy, led to injuries such as the one she was now sporting.

Shoko looked down at the short katana sticking out from the right side of her stomach and grimaced when she tried to reach around to the hilt to pull it out.

"Don't do that." Genma said from beside her. He bent down and looped an arm under her knees to pick her up then hopped to a rooftop. She batted him away and stood on her own as steady as possible.

"Just pull it out. I'm okay." Genma looked reluctant so she laughed at him, granted it was forced and hurt a good bit but she was sure he would feel better knowing she could still laugh. "It didn't hit anything and even if it had, I'd live. Just pull it out. Having a foreign object in your side hurts, ya know." She reached up and grabbed his shoulders.

Genma let out a breath and reached around to grip the hilt but paused, "Ya need something to bite down on?"

She snorted, "Hmm. I could use something." She leaned in and bit his bottom lip. Genma froze for a second then responded by kissing her back. Not much could keep that man from acting on his natural manstincts. "Pull it out." Her words were muffled by his lips but he understood. He squeezed his eyes shut and put his free hand to the back of her head to deepen the kiss as he jerked the katana from her back. She gasped into his mouth and dug her nails into his shoulders but neither broke the kiss.

"Uh, hey, we could use a little help down here!" Anko yelled from below.

Shoko broke away first and pressed her forehead to his while observing her wound, "Best sword extraction ever." She mumbled with a smirk. Genma cleared his throat to hide his own smirk and they both ran off in their own directions to help with the endless zombie numbers.

* * *

**I appologize if there are a couple grammar errors. I was in a hurry to publish this chapter. **

**Also, I might have upset a few of you with the Genma thing since Shoko is currently erm... 'kissing' Jiraiya but as I had said before, she's shameless and Genma's tempting territory that I just had to delve into for a moment. But it was _only_ a kiss and it was used to keep her mind off getting a sword pulled from her side so nothing is going to happen between them...as of right now. Who knows what will happen in the furture though. **

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews. Will post next chapter very soon!**


	12. Ten

**Ten**

_Naruto_

"Shikamaru!" Shoko heard someone call from somewhere inside the array of walking dead shinobi. She struck down the two she was fighting and turned to see him appear beside Chōji and Genma.

"What's the deal?" She asked him.

"This." He gestured to the mass of zombies, "is a diversion of some sort."

"Well, we knew that." Shoko said irritated. "Kasuma and the others have raised Fire Temples four most prostigeous lightning users. They're going to use Limelight to destroy the village. We need people to reach them and stop em from makin it to their posts, but these guys here just keep popping out of the ground like smelly daisies."

"Women." Shikamaru mumbled, "We need to hurry up and take care of these guys so we can help the others."

"We knew that from the start." Genma said over his shoulder. "Quit yapping and come up with a strategy."

"Che. Slave driver..." Shikamaru said absently scratching his forehead.

"Chōji, you've got some chakra saved up, right?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah, you bet. I'm good to go." Chōji said.

"Shoko you should...

Shikamaru paused at the scowl she sent him.

"I don't take orders from little whipper snappers. Not even genius ones. I'm gonna go find Kasuma and kill him myself if your sensei can't do the damn job. Then I'm gonna save this spiteful village because I've got a ton of karma to burn off. THEN I'm going to the bar. Ja ne." She quickly vanished before he could retort.

"Ehh...I was going to suggest somethin like that anyway...troublesome." Shikamaru said.

* * *

She appeared a few meters from the closest battle to the front gates. There was a chasm blocking her view of the clashing chakras within. Shoko stepped to the edge and peeked inside to see the huge earth user from earlier charging at Tenzō with his right arm reared back for a powerful blow. Shoko figured that since he was an earth user he probably used the rock armour ability to harded his skin on his fists, making the blows much more damaging. She channeled electricity into her own palm and leapt into the chasm between the two battling and gripped the earth users fist, sending bolts of lightning through his 'stone' skin and thourouly crushing the bones in his hand. He yelped and glanced at his hand just before she channeled lightning into her leg and sent a reverse roundhouse kick to his chest. He flew back, stunned for a moment by the course of electricty in his body. She turned to Tenzō.

"You probably didn't need my help but I was walking by and just couldn't help myself." She winked at him.

"Thank you, Senpai." Tenzō said with a slight bow. She smiled at him but the smile vanished just a fraction of a second before her own body vanished which was even a fraction of a second more before the earth user charged the spot she had just been standing in and, missing her, his blow hit the ground creating a huge hole. She reappeared behind him.

"Wow" She said leaning to the side to look, with wide eyes, around the big man at the hole he had just created in the ground. "That probably would have hurt."

The man whipped around to glare at her. "Hold still you little punk. I hate cowards that run."

Shoko cocked her head to the side as if hearing something and then looked back at the man, "Well then you're gonna hate me cause I gotta split. Places to be, explosions to stop. Yamato here will play with you. You better not piss him off though, he hasn't really been fighting you serious, if he had you'd be dead by now." She leapt to the top of the huge crack in the earth and started off toward Naruto. She had felt a serious spike in his chakra, as if he were in horrible pain.

She had overexerted her _Kasoku Suru_ and was starting to feel a migraine coming on so she opted on running, fast.

"Naruto." She murmured.

Shoko paused when something blue caught her eye. She stepped back and looked through the small alley way to see Asuma trapped inside a lightning barrier.

She appeared infront of it and looked it over. "Heh." She smirked at him.

"Shoko, nows not the time to be a bit-

She touched a hand to the electric barrier and sent her own lightning into it, disrupting the flow and breaking its walls.

"Go and stop the last one before he reaches his position." She said.

"I know." He said then disappeared.

"You're welcome." Shoko said to the empty space before her, then once again took off in the direction of Naruto's chakra signature.

"_Rasengan_!" She heard Naruto yell as she landed on the rooftop above the battle between him and the vixen of the graverobbers.

Shoko hopped down beside him and craned her neck to look into the hole. "Did you get h-

"It's not over yet." Naruto said. She turned to repremand him for disrespecting his elders but stopped when the woman stood from the hole. Her face aged beyond recognision and she looked pissed. "What's with this woman."

"She certainly didn't look like that when I saw her at the gates." Shoko whispered subtly through one side of her mouth.

"How dare you? How dare you do this to my body! Not once, but twice! _Shiki Tenshin_!" The woman growled.

Her body seemingly took on the form of mud and melted away just as a new body appeared.

"Jinsoku of the Leaf? Shouldn't you be off trying to stop the walking dead before they take over your precious village?"

"We have people for distractions such as those. I just decided to stop by and let you know your plan is a fail. Two of your comrades have already been eliminated and you...well you're next."

She batted her hair behind her shoulder and laughed, "I suppose your body will do fine for my wind, though I know it's not your affinity, you can still use it."

"Naruto go and find Sora, your friend needs you." Shoko said, never looking away from the woman in front of them.

"Ah, be careful with this one, she uses all of the elements except for wind. That's why she was after me. She steals your element by...kissing you or something." Shoko raised a brow then adressed the woman.

"You kissed my Godson?" Naruto blinked at Shoko. He hadn't know she was asked to be his Godmother and now she was sure he would have a million questions about his parents since it was apparent that Shoko had been close with them. Fortunately Naruto knew when to be serious. Most of the time. So he kept quiet. "I was just going to kill you quickly, but since you decided to make a move on my little one...I'm gonna make you hurt first."

She raised a palm and sent a powerful gust of sharp bladed wind at the woman who slammed a plam to the ground with a doton on her lips. Earth shot up around her and blocked Shoko's attack. She turned to Naruto and he nodded. He took off in the direction of Sora, fully confident that his Godmother could handle this woman and anything else that came her way. She was one of the strongest ninja he knew. He also knew that if anything happened to her, nothing could stop him from hunting down the person who cause his important person harm.

"Oh no you don't!" The angry woman said as she sent a large shot of water in the shape of a pheonix from her hand straight towards the retreating Naruto. Shoko raised her hand to the sky and used wind to channeled the current of water down toward her own body and straight back at the woman. She dodge away. "H-how did you...

"I've had a century to master lightning and wind, where as you only care for collecting elements. Had you focused more on one or two of your own then perhaps you would be using something other than the B-rank jutsu you've been flaunting. Amature." Shoko wasn't in the best of moods. After being summoned, losing her hat, tearing her robe and now some hag was making moves on Naruto.

"_Suiton: Haron Banshou_!" Water flowed around the woman and towards Shoko. She cut off the electrical current she'd had flowing through her body and allowed the water to surround her feet. She glanced back up at the woman, waiting for her next move. "_Doton: Doro Houshi_!"

Shoko leapt. Doton? Why would she use earth when the best move would have been lightning. Naruto had told Shoko the woman possessed lightning. Did it have to do with her body? He had said she had all elements except for wind but right now she was only using earth and water. Had she lost the lightning when hit with _Rasengan_? Shoko also recalled her saying Naruto had destroyed her body, not once but twice. Perhaps the first time she had lost the element of fire. She had even mentioned taking Shoko's body for her wind. Maybe it had something to do with the technique she used to steal them with a kiss. Was she stealing souls? It made sense. It was the only logical thing Shoko could think of right now.

She landed into the mud and stared at the angry banshee. "You're switching bodies."

The woman glared at her, "Nothing will come of that knowledge!" She yelled. "_Suiton: Ja no Kuchi_!" Shoko vanished before the wave hit her. "_Shiki Tenshin! Doton: Doro Houshi_!" Shoko had reappeared behind her but the muddy water caught her off guard and she stumbled backwards into a post. "I won't allow anyone who knows my secret to live. In exchange I'll be taking your body. But not for your elements. I hear theres a generous bounty on your pretty little head and I could use some new clothes." She said sweetly. Shoko straightened and glowered at the woman.

"No one as petty and disrespectful as you will ever cash in on my bounty. Digging up honorable dead and forcing them to obey your orders. How disgusting." Shoko sneered. The woman laughed. She's wasted too much time on this woman. Her hand shot out and gripped the vixen by her neck. She sent a small shock of concentrated electricity into the woman's chest and released it. The woman screamed and fell to her knees. Her heart would be in peices after that and if Shoko was right, she would only be able to use water now. She would also only have one body left.

The woman melted and reappeared undamaged just like before. Shoko smirked but when she straightened to stand her head went dizzy and her vision blurred. She cursed under her breath. She'd used her teleportation jutsu too much and hadn't gotten much sleep, coupled with the jutsu she had been using all over Konoha tonight...she was spent. Everything went black and she stumbled backwards before collapsing to the ground.

She must have only been out for a few seconds because when she awoke the woman was bent over her and their lips were locked. Shoko blinked, she couldn't move. Was this a paralysis jutsu? She stared at the woman as she felt her life energy leaving her through her lungs as if trying to breath beneath water. What could she do? There was no way this creepy woman was going to get the best of her. Looking at her now, something was off. Her hair. It still had blood in it from before even though her entire body had reformed undamaged. Come to think of it, she had been more conserned with her hair during the fight than her body.

That was it.

Shoko used all her strength to reach up and yank the woman's hair. She ripped out a good portion of it and the woman screamed and scrambled away. "Hah! Your hair. That's the secret to your creepy jutsu. You kept reforming but your hair stayed the same."

"You bitch!" She shrieked. Shoko stood with the lock of hair but looked down as it took on a life of it's own and wrapped itself around her arm like a python. She shook it off disgustedly and stomped on it as if it were an insect. The woman screamed and withered. "You leave me no choice! I'll take your body, you bitch. I'll suck you dry!" She charged Shoko who just stood her ground and stared at the mad woman with disintrest until the womans hair shot out and wrapped around Shoko's body.

Shoko sent electricity coursing through her veins, effectivley burning the hair from around her. The woman screamed again and her body crumbled to the ground leaving the hair floating in midair with visibly glowing yellow eyes. Shoko took a step back and wrinkled her nose.

"...Ew." She said.

"How dare you." The hair whispered menicingly.

"The fuck...?" Shoko gripped her tekko-kagi behind her back, sending lightning through the blades and took a stance as the floating hair thing charged her.

"You're dead!" It said but just as it reached her Shoko revealed the blades and swipped her right charged claws at the hair. The impact it made created an explosion that sent Shoko flying backwards. She was too tired to right herself so she just tensed for the landing.

When she opened her eyes the hair was burned to ash. "What a weird woman...or thing." She said quietly. She stood and groaned, reaching around to add pressure to her previous sword wound from the zombie shinobi. She took a moment to right herself before taking off in the direction of Naruto's chakra which, at the moment was spiking and Shoko could also sense the Kyuubi. Something bad was happeneing if Naruto was losing control. She used her teleportation jutsu and appeared beside Tenzō. She stumbled and fell to a knee while gripping her side tightly.

"Shoko-senpai!" Tenzō said worriedly. She didn't hear him though because she was too entranced by the scene infront of her. It wasn't just Naruto who had lost control of Kyuubi. It was the other boy too, Sora. He was standing in the middle of a crater. Naruto was only a few feet away. Sora had Kyuubi chakra? How?

Sakura knelt beside Shoko and pried her hand away from her side to examine her wound.

Lee, Shikamaru, Ino, Chōji and Kiba stood behind them. Akamaru crawled up to Shoko on his belly and whined, nudging his nose under her other hand. She smiled at him. "I'm okay Akamaru. Sakura is the best medic around, she'll fix me right up." She said to the dog with a smile. He laid his head on her lap while she scratched behind his ear and watched as Naruto tried to talk sense into the possessed Sora.

"It's gone straight through Sho-sama. You shouldn't have fought with a wound like this, you really made it worse." Sakura reprimanded Shoko.

"Ehhh...what did I say about the 'sama'?" Shoko said, her eyes never leaving Naruto even as Fujiki appeared beside her, she would ask him about Kazuma later.

"Gomen...Sho-senpai." Shoko sighed, well it was better than 'sama'.

Kiba bent down behind Shoko and put a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay Sho, Naruto will talk some sense into him. He'll be fine. He always is."

"Ah." She replied absently. If she had to she would kill this Sora boy. She didn't know him. He had already lost control. If he hurt Naruto she would step in. Friend or foe. They may just witness how merciless she could be. The only reason she hadn't tried to kill the boy yet was because Naruto had gotten attached to him.

She heard a clang and glanced to the east of the crater to see Asuma battling Kazuma.

She was so confused about what was going on and the light headedness she felt wasn't making things easier.

"I didn't tell you to come out! Get back in your cage you stupid fox." Naruto growled. "You can't just come out whenever you feel like it!" The Kyuubi's chakra was beginning to burn his skin and his eyes and teeth had transformed. The Kyuubi within him was reacting to the Kyuubi chakra within Sora. If someone didn't do something now he would loose it.

"Concintrate on the cage door Naruto. The bindings. Do not let him out!" Shoko said.

"I'm trying to!" He yelled at her. "The fucking thing is coming out anyway!"

"Yamato-taicho, isn't there anything we can do?" Sakura asked Tenzou frantically.

"No, my techniques aren't working on Naruto right now." He replied.

"Let me." Shoko said, standing and narrowing her eyes at Sora. "I'll kill the boy and subdue Naruto before he can lose control anymore than he already has."

"No!" Sakura screamed. "Please!" She grabbed Shoko's arm and pulled. "Please don't kill him. He can't help it. He's confused."

"He's a liability to this village. He's already lost all control. Sora is no more, it is only the Kyuubi now." Shoko said, unemotionally.

"Please!" Sakura fell to her knees, yanking Shoko by the arm. "He's a friend. He's only a boy."

"Children die all the time. You're shinobi. You should act as such."

"You mean emotionless?" Shikamaru said, angry that Shoko would say such things.

"Yes, attachments will only-

"Well then what about Naruto?" Sakura yelled, glaring at Shoko. "Would you kill him?"

Shoko stared at Naruto. He was taking on the Kyuubi's full form now and she could tell he was in pain. Something had to happen.

"If I didn't know him...yes."

"Then you're heartless." Sakura hissed at her, dropping her arm and stepping away to look at her with utter disgust.

"I have been called worse."

"Nothing is worse." She retorted almost sadly. Shoko cast her a sideways glance and sighed.

"You are still young. With time you'll understand that heartlessness is an advantage and after enough pain you will strive to achive it." She felt the glares on her but ignored them. "I was summoned here to protect this village and so protect it, I will. Naruto made it here first so I will let him do it his way but if his way fails then I _will _do it my way." She finished.

"Shoko..." Fujiki trailed off. He knew her way and he knew the boy deserved better than that. It wasn't his fault he was this way. Shoko knew it but things like that didn't register for her. She was world wary and little could gain her sympathy, even cutting down a young boy. In her mind, killing the boy would be showing mercy. He was clearly suffering.

She watched Naruto pick up a broken blade similar to one of her own from her tekko-kagi.

"I'm not gonna run away! I'm not gonna let some stupid fox take over me!" With that Naruto stabbed himself in the thigh with the broken blade.

"Naruto" Ino whispered.

"Damn it" Shikamaru said.

Naruto was on his hands and knees in the middle of the crater mumbling something that Shoko and the others couldn't hear. It was getting harder and harder for Shoko to stand by with an emotionless mask. She was starting to miss her hat even more now that her face was exposed. She wasn't supposed to care about these damned kids. But she did. A fact that only pissed her off more.

"I'm gonna bring you back with my own two hands Sora!" Naruto growled, sitting up and facing the small version of the Kyuubi that was Sora. "Sora! Come back here! Just how long are ya gonna sleep? Snap out of it already!" He yelled. "Wake the hell up!" Then the Kyuubi cloak vanished from Naruto. Everyone stood in shock at the sight of him having called the Kyuubi back into it's confindments with nothing but his own willpower.

It was a relief but Naruto had little chance of defeating Sora without the help of Kyuubi as well as the weakened state he was in after his own inner battle.

Shoko prepared to move if the need arose. She would, at the very least, put herself between the two before she let Sora kill Naruto.

Naruto staggered closer to the yowling Sora. "It's okay now Sora. I'm coming to get you." He said with a determined look. Shoko could understand his determination, she could understand his passion in saving someone he cared for but she couldn't understand how he could let himself care for so many people even after only knowing them for such a short amount of time. Didn't it hurt to see someone die? To see them suffer when you cared so much? Why then, let so many people in your heart like that. It was brave and it was tragic. Naruto was going to be a great shinobi one day, maybe even greater than his own father, if he could survive the agony of being a shinobi with such a huge heart.

"Just hang in there, Sora! I managed to push that damned Kyuubi back by borrowing your power." He held out the broken tekko-kagi blade that he pulled from his leg. "Now, I'm gonna lend you mine. Don't even try to turn it down." He yelled, charging at Sora. Sora howled at him and swiped a fisted paw, knocking Naruto into the side of the crater.

"Tch" Shoko vanished and reappeared in front of the fallen boy, eyes narrowed at Sora in Kyuubi form. She gripped one of her tekko-kagi and twirled it once to right it before gripping it tight and lowing her head. She had faced the true Kyuubi twice in her life before this time and she wasn't about to let this thing instill fear into her. "Get up Naruto." She snarled. Her anger mostly directed at Sora but Naruto as well for foolishly attacking him at the state he was in. "Get up!" She yelled, tilting her face to glance at him feebly pushing himself off the ground. "If you don't want me to kill him now...you had better get up and fight."

"Hai..." He straightened and breathed deep for a moment before charging the Kyuubi imitation again. "Sora! Wake the hell up!" He said as he leapt into the air to send a scissor kick to the Kyuubi's face. The Kyuubi caught his leg with a tail and swung him around before letting go and sending Naruto flying. Shoko appeared behind him and caught him as they both crashed into the crater wall.

"Naruto! Sho-sama!" Sakura screamed. She ran to them. Shoko coughed and looked down at her sword wound which had reopened in the crash. She grimiced. "I need to heal you. Both of you!"

Shoko noticed a white halo around Sakura's figure as she worried over them and leaned to the side to see the Kyuubi howling and grabbing his head as if in pain while a huge white ball of energy formed in his mouth. She let a string of curses leave her mouth as she struggled to stand.

"There's no time!" Shikamaru yelled. "Sakura, Sho, Naruto! Get out!"

Sakura turned and gasped at the huge ball of energy. "Everyone run!" She screamed as the ball of energy left the Kyuubi's mouth and barreled towards them destroying the earth in it's path. There was no time to run.

Shoko stood infront of the group and channeled her lightning chakra into her palms, facing them outwards. Visible blue energy shot out from her hands and met head on with the ball of white energy. She clenched her jaw and held her breath as the much stronger of the two shredded the bandages on her right hand before it began to burn her palms, her fingertips, her forearms. It felt as though the blazing pressure would never end. After a few seconds, it became overwhelmingly tempting to just give up and drop her hands. She was getting tired and the blaze was moving to her face, tearing at her robe and kimono beneath. She felt her chakra draining from her body quickly and hoped she wouldn't have to use the lot of it. Could chakra depleation kill her? Complete depleation? She didn't know, but she was sure it would be painful if it didn't kill her. She didn't want to die here and she sure as hell didn't want it to be because of the Kyuubi.

She felt the white hot energy receiding but held her ground until it completely disappeared. Her hands dropped limply to her sides and she let out the breath she had been holding before falling to her knees and continuing face first to the dirt beneath her as blackness shrouded her vision. Naruto had better talk some sense into that kid because she would be out for a while after that.


	13. Eleven

**Eleven**

_Confessions_

Darkness.

Darkness? Shoko gasped and shot up in bed 'looking' around. Her breaths quickening by the second. Stern hands shoved her down and she brought her own hands up with a frantic whimper to claw at her eyes.

"Stop." Asuma whispered in her ear. "Calm down, they're just bandages."

"I'm not blind? Am I blind? Did something happen to my eyes? ASUMA answer me!"

"No, you're eyes will be fine. You tapped into your kekkei genkai when you blocked the blast...Idiot. It took a tole on your whole body. You were bleeding from your eyes and nose and you were coughing up pints worth of blood when we rushed you here." Asuma said as he sat back down beside her bed. "Fortunately Tsunade was at the scene to heal the worst. You shouldn't have done that, it could have-

"What, killed me?" She huffed a laugh. "You should thank me for saving your students instead of repremanding me on such a 'foolish act'. The little brats would have died if I hadn't stepped in."

"Geez, you never were the modest kind were you?" Asuma grumbled. She slowly turned her face toward him and even with the bandages he knew she was glaring. He sighed, "Thank you. Thank you for saving those kids." It was silent for a few moments before Asuma spoke again.

"I know you act like you did it out of orders to protect the village but we both know you really care for them." He said, staring out the window. "Shikamaru told me what you said...about being a shinobi." She stayed silent so he continued.

"Shoko, I know I haven't been the most accepting of you. Hell, I should never have made that comment to you in the bar but I was angry. I was mad because I felt...betrayed." He glanced at her and saw a small frown mar her flawless face. "With me...I mean, when you were teaching me, all those years ago, I looked up to you. You know that. You were who I wanted to be. Everything I wanted to be. I wanted to make my ol' man proud and I knew that if I focused on you and did everything you did, everything you taught me then I could...I could make him proud of me. You were everything right. You were the perfect shinobi. I loved you and I loved all that you stood for." He paused for a moment and he could hear her breathing a little deeper, she turned her face away from him but he went on. "But when everything happened, I felt...so...I don't know. I guess I felt like I had wasted so much of my life trying to be like someone who wasn't even who I thought they were. I was angry and I believed everything I heard. Even the things that I could swear you would never do. I knew deep down that you didn't. That you were innocent but I was so mad. I made myself hate you because it was easier than feeling betrayed and hurt by someone who had meant so much to me. For years I forced myself to hate you until I finally started to believe it. But Shoko...Sensei..." She grimaced. He knew she was trying hard not to cry. He was trying not to be too emotional himself but he had to say this. "I never hated you. I was never angry at you. _I _was the monster. For the way I treated you when all you ever did was teach me and protect me. I was the one who betrayed you and Kami, what can I do? There's no way to make up for so many years of it. I would give you my life if I thought it would make up for what I've done. I _love _you Sensei. You're like a mother when I never had one, a father when my own neglected to acknowledge me. You were like a sister, a friend, comrade. You were everything to me. You're my family and, just like with my father, I screwed up. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I want-no need you to forgive me. I need to hear you say that you forgive me for the way I am. I can't _live_ knowing one of the only family I have left is hurting for something I did when I should have protected her. I should have-

"Stop." Shoko cut him off. She'd said it so quietly Asuma almost didn't hear her. "Asuma...there's nothing to forgive. You never disappointed me. You've only ever made me proud. Your father too. He hardly showed it but he was always..._so _proud of you. You're one of a kind, Sarutobi Asuma. No shinobi...no man...woman or child will ever make me as proud as I am of you. I've always loved you and I _always _will, no matter what you do or say because...you're good. You are good. You will always, always be a good man. Everyone makes mistakes. No one is perfect and no one expects you to be. You've grown to be a greater shinobi than I could ever hope to be and _everyone _is proud of you. You're a true Guardian, not just of the Hokage or the Temple or even the Country. You're a Guardian of the people. The people are the 'king' and you've succeeded in your goal. You are the greatest Yogo-Sha...the greatest Guardian...Protector and your father knew this. He always did. Don't ever think differently. Your students are lucky to have such a sensei." Asuma stared at her. He'd made her proud? Even after everything he had said? The way he'd treated her? She was still able to be proud of him. He smiled and placed his hand over her small delicate one.

"Eh...I think Shikamaru would make a fantastic Kashikoi, don't you?"

Asuma laughed, "Ah, wasn't the first a Nara too?"

"Yep, Ran wasn't nearly as intelligent as Shikamaru but he was a quick thinker." She reminisced. "Perhaps one day there will be a use for Yogo-Sha again. You could put in a good word for him, not that he would need it. Mmm...Maybe he would work on the laziness though?"

"You're one to talk." They both chuckled at that.

"Yes, but no one will ever beat _my _record. Maybe Lee could make a good Jinsuko." She thought, tapping her chin.

"Hm? Well it's not as if we would ever need a new Jinsuko. You'll be around for the spot."

She smiled. She didn't think she would. As a matter of fact she fully expected this to be her last year among the living but she wouldn't mention that to anyone. She had lived long enough. She would teach everything she knew to Naruto, perhaps even help Tsunade 'groom' him for Hokagedom but sooner or later she would come face to face with Madara and there was little chance of survival after that. She knew though, that she would take him with her. Wherever she went after this world, she would drag him there too. She had to. It was the only way to keep the people she loved safe.

Asuma frowned at her. He didn't like her lack of response to his comment. He knew her well enough to know she would be bragging her head off if she expected to gain her old seat back. She was acting like she was already a dead man walking and it kind of pissed him off but he didn't say anything. He knew what her 'mission' was. He didn't agree with it. Just because she couldn't easily be killed wasn't good enough reason to send her to hunt down the strongest ninja in the world. The fact that he was he own family made the mission even worse. He still hurt from having to battle his own comrades during the coup and just last night he'd killed another old comrade. He couldn't imagine facing off with his sister. Shoko tended to act heartless but she wasn't, especially when it came to her loved ones. Enemy or no.

"Sakura will be a good Tsuyoi." She said, bring Asuma from his thoughts.

"Hm and her medical skills would be useful."

"Hai..." She said with a yawn.

"You need more rest. You should have been out for at least a day, you've only been asleep for about 7 hours."

"Have you been here this whole time?" Asuma cleared his throat. Shoko smirked at him. "That's sweet Asuma, it's too bad you're already taken. I'd have to repay you for such kindness." She spoke low and seductively. Asuma blinked, not because of her forwardness, she was always like that. But how did she know about Kurenai? How did everyone seem to know? Was he that obvious? She laughed again. "You get out of here and let me sleep. Tell Kurenai I said, 'Hello.'"

Asuma stood from his chair and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "You're going to need to brush up on your Yogo-Sha skills. The Hokage needs the best of the best, ya know." He said before turning to leave.

She tried to feel for his signature but he must have been consealing it like most shinobi did and she was still pretty weak from the night before. When she heard the click of the door she tore the bandages from her eyes and scrambled to the small bathroom. She looked her self over in the mirror for a moment to make sure her eyes were still in her face. They were there with the addition of dark circles...a few more bandages across her nose and cheeks and a ton of messy hair.

She quickly splashed water on her face and pulled her hair up into a high pony tail. It made her scar that much more visible but she didn't mind, she had places to be. She ran out of the bathroom and looked around for her clothes.

"Where the fuck are my clothes?"

"Tsunade took them." Shoko whipped around and clutched at her chest.

"Where did you come from?" She asked Fujiki, who was leaning on the wall, arms crossed beside the door to her room.

"Outside that door. Before that I was in the hallway, before that the lobby..."

"Okay smartass. I didn't hear you, or feel anything is all. I'm tired and hungry."

"Then get back in bed and order something from the cafeteria." He told her.

"No, you know I had plans."

"Oh right, that thing you were gonna do when you got back from the last mission." He deadpanned. "You're _still_ gonna go there? Even though you clearly need to stay in bed? Wait-don't answer that."

"It's the one day ANBU don't take that trail in the forest. The one day every six months." She had studied the scouting maps, times and trails and it didn't take very long to see that, with the constant switching of travel trails, they had missed one trail. One trail that happened to run straight across the old entrance to the labs. Tsunade didn't know about it. No one knew about it except Shoko, Orochimaru and Anko, if she even remembered such a thing.

Shoko had been 'absently' passing the main entrance to the labs every week she was in the village and still Tsunade had ANBU guarding it. So Shoko decided to take the other way. This day was her only chance for six more months because even though there wouldn't be ANBU outside of the entrance itself, there would be ANBU in the vicinity and they would know she was there. There was no other way.

"Go and get my clothes." She whispered loudly to her summon.

"No." He said, walking to the bed and hopping into it.

"Nani? You're my summon...you're suppose to help me." She hissed.

"So?"

"Sonofa-

"I'm not helping you get into those labs. I don't _want_ you to go. I don't want you to see the old place and start getting all 'mad scientist' again."

"Mad scientist? I was never a mad scientist." She laughed quietly.

"Crazy people don't know they're crazy."

She shot him a look. "I just need to grab the one thing. One thing then I'm out of there. I've no desire to stick around and drudge up memories. I won't turn into a mad scientist." She snorted.

"I'm not going and I'm not getting your clothes."

"You know how important this is. It's the only way."

"There has to be other ways, you just really want to go down there." Fujiki said.

She looked down at herself. She was in a white hospital gown. Her right arm and leg were bandaged like usual as well as her left leg and her stomach and chest. She felt like a mummy.

She pursed her lips, took one last look at Fujiki before leaping onto the window seal and stepping out. She smirked at her freedom but the smirk melted into a frown when she tried to take another step. She couldn't. She was frozen-no...She looked down and followed the length of her shadow.

Shikamaru knelt beside a chimney smoking Asuma. They were both looking fairly amused. Shoko didn't like it.

"I knew the moment you 'yawned' that something was up." Asuma said, flicking his lighter and staring off into the distance. The distance that Shoko so desperately needed to reach before midnight.

"You look like hell Sho. How about you go back to bed like a good little girl." Shikamaru said with a smile.

"You never tell a woman she looks like shit, I'm not going back to bed and I'm not a little girl." She said, still frozen in her previous position but staring at Shikamaru with the most defiant look she could muster with a side of mad.

He sighed then stood and faced her, forcing her to face him.

"So are you gonna tell me what it is that's so important, you need to break into the underground labs for it?" Asuma asked, he was looking at her now and he didn't look happy.

"Let go of the shadow and I'll tell you." She said looking over at Shikamaru.

"Ehhh. Do I look stupid to you?" Shikamaru asked with a pinky in his ear. Her eye twitched and a corner of her mouth started to curl upwards. He stopped and slumped. "Don't answer that."

"Let go of my shadow. It's not like I can go now that you two eavesdropped on my private conversation. You'll just go to Tsunade and then I'll be had. Let's go inside, I'll tell you there."

Instead of letting go, Shikamaru walked her back inside, followed by Asuma who was trying very hard not to make assumptions.

"You both know Uchiha Madara is the most powerful shinobi alive." She didn't wait for a response and she didn't look at either of them. She turned her face toward to window and stared out as she continued. "He was second only to Senju Hashirama. It's no secret that I'm not half the shinobi he is." Shikamaru opened his mouth but stopped when she started talking again. "I- We..." Without sparing him a look, she gestured over to Fujiki who was still lounging in her hospital bed looking at her with a frown. "knew, for a time, that he was alive. After a while, we just assumed that he had died, like everyone else from those times. But during the time that I was hunting for him, I was also creating a jutsu. One that could counter his Space Time Ninjutsu. I was so close to finishing it. So close, but at that point in time," She lowered her head and glanced shamefully at Fujiki. "I had thrown myself so fully into my work, I...wasn't myself and thankfully Fujiki pointed that out to me. I realized I needed to stop the 'madness' and that was around the time that we had decided that even if Madara had survived the battle with the First, by the time I could complete the jutsu he would have been dead of old age anyway. I sealed it up and kept it with me always, in case...I don't know, I guess in case I ever encountered someone with such an ability. It's there, in the labs. I hid it, once I began to doubt Orochimaru. Yes, I did doubt him." She added before Asuma could say anything. Her voice had an edge of finality to it so he stayed quiet. "So I know it wasn't confiscated during the sweep the night of my arrest. If I can get in there and get it, I can finish the jutsu and maybe I'll have a chance."

"But going into those labs is a bad idea." Fujiki said.

"Yes, you already said that." Shoko said annoyed.

"And I'll say it again because you're not listening to me."

"I am not going to go mad!" She yelled. "Are you listening to _me_? It's just a lab. It's not crack and I'm not some addict. I only need the scroll with the jutsu. I don't even need the lab to finish it."

"Go mad?" Shikamaru asked.

Fujiki and Shoko cut off their glaring contest as Fujiki turned to Shikamaru and Asuma while Shoko breathed out a loud sigh and threw her head back to stare at the ceiling.

"She went mad, crazy, insane...whatever you want to call it. It's what happens to people that live in laboratories for years without communicating with the outside world." Fujiki said spitefully.

"Okay I went mad for a while, but I'm not anymore. I wasn't when I worked in the labs with Orochimaru and before him." Fujiki raised a brow at that. "Can't you understand I need that damned scroll? I'll be killed without it." She said. "Tsunade is throwing me to the most rabid wolf out there and its all because I can survive without a heartbeat. _But she doesn't understand_. No one gets that I can be _destroyed_. I can't just piece myself back together if I'm obliterated. I'm not strong like he is. I'm nothing like him, you know. He was always the strongest one. Izuna next and I was always last..." She was silent for a minute. "But she's sending me to hunt him anyway. I _don't want _to die like that. I don't want to die because I tried to kill my brother and he ended up killing me first. But I'm gonna." She looked at Asuma. "I am going to die, if I don't get that scroll." She said slowly and deliberately.

"Then we'll get the scroll. Tell me where it is." Asuma said. She shook her head.

"It's sealed away and only I can open the seal."

Asuma growled at her then looked at Fujiki who just stared at Shoko with a look of anger. Asuma wondered why Fujiki was so bent on not letting Shoko back into the labs. Surely she wasn't going to lose her mind by just being around a few beakers for a couple minutes. He remembered her before she was imprisoned. She wasn't insane then.

"How were you planning on getting in? Tsunade has the entrance blocked off. She doesn't want you down there." He thought about that for a moment. Tsuande seemed just as determined as Fujiki to keep Shoko out of the labs. He started to regret considering helping her but the look of utter happiness she sent him kept him from turning back.

"There's a secret entrance and tonight is the only night ANBU scouts won't be near by."

He furrowed his brows at her. "You've been planning this out." She smiled. He was just glad she wasn't an enemy.

"I need my clothes."

"Oh I don't know, you look kinda cute like that." Shikamaru said with a smirk. Shoko turned a surprised look to him then her usual smirk crept onto her face. Asuma knew that was comming. Fujiki rolled his eyes and grabbed the remote to the TV.

"Oh?" She said, sauntering over to him. "You think I'm cute?" He took a step back when she reached him, then another when she didn't stop her seductive advance.

"Uhum. I didn't mean..." He stopped when his back hit the wall beside the window but she took another step, trapping him between her and the wall. He narrowed his eyes when he felt a blush on his cheeks. She ran a hand from his shoulder, down his chest and looped a finger through his belt loop as she leaned in and nipped his earlobe. He shivered at the feel of her breath on his neck.

"You didn't mean...what." She purred. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying not to let the fact that she was pressing her body against his entire front and everything that entailed. She jerked his belt loop a little more and his breath hitched. "Hm?"

"What?" He asked. He had completely forgotten what he had been saying. She moaned quietly into his ear and he started wishing she wasn't just teasing him and that his Sensei and Fujiki weren't in the room.

"Do you want me to get rid of them?" She asked as if reading his mind. Asuma cleared his throat but she just smirked and ignored him. "I could throw you on that bed right there and make you feel things you never imagined you cou-

Asuma cleared his throat louder this time. She smiled, "I'm just pickin." She chirped as she stepped back and straightened Shikamaru's shirt for him. He let go of a breath he had been holding for Kami knew how long and scowled at her.

"Sho, you realize he's only 16 right?"

"So. If he's old enough to risk his life for his village, he's old enough to have a good time." She said to Asuma but she was still eyeing Shikamaru like a hungry tiger. Asuma sighed and light another cigarette.

"We should wait until dark to leave." He said.

She turned to look at him, "You're gonna help me?"

"In and out." He said sternly. "We're not going there to look around. Laboratories creep me out anyway."

"In and out." She agreed.

Shikamaru pushed himself off the wall and brushed himself off. "Where do you want to meet? I promised Chōji I'd meet him at lunch." He tried to ignore Shoko who was still smirking and looking at him like a predator.

"Meet on the Hokage mountain at 7." Shoko said to him.

He nodded and leapt out the window. Fujiki had grumbled something about a bar before walking out the door and leaving Asuma and Shoko alone once again.

"You know," She began. "I was only playing with your student."

He laughed. "I know, but making him frustrated is going to interfere with his quick thinking."

"He has the Sand girl to take his frustrations out on." She shrugged then turned to look Asuma over. It made him uneasy, how openly she looked at him.

"Does Kurenai let you take your frustrations out on her?" She asked. He raised a brow at her.

"What makes everyone think there's something going on with me and Kurenai?" He asked, avoiding her nosy question.

She laughed at him. "You can't be serious..."

"Actually, now that I think about it. I'll help you get this scroll...on one condition."

"Ahhhh...is it the feel good kind? Cause I'm kind of-

"In the mood?" He asked as she closed the space between them. He grabbed her arms and held her back. "You're always in the mood..."

"Yes, well...one has needs."

He snorted at her. "Tell me, why you became immortal."

"Ahhh...well, I guess I should be happy you didn't ask me how." She said, stepping away from him. "I suppose it was my final act of rebellion against my father." She looked at him, "You can understand that." She added. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"You mean, Uchiha Rido?" She nodded. "Why?"

"Because he was a tyrant." She shrugged, "He made Madara look like a saint."

"So you froze yourself in time because Rido was a tyrant?"

She growled a little, "No- Yes. He ordered the destruction of my clan. He killed my parents. He did the worse thing he could have done to me. He let me live. He despised my clan and so he despised me but he couldn't bring himself to kill me. I guess I resembled someone he once knew. At the same time, he couldn't allow me be be set free so he kept me and sealed my kekkei genkai..."

"The mark that you used to have on your face." He said, thinking of the huge seal that had run from just above her right eye, down to her jaw. The kanji for 'suppress' but nothing told of why she had it or who gave it to her. "When I was a kid I used to wonder what that seal was when I saw the Uchiha clan statues. It was-"

"Big and ugly. I know. He didn't have to put it there or made it so extravagant but he did." She stopped talking for a moment. No one had ever looked at her back then. From pity or disgust at her heritage, or both. "I froze myself in time because Rido was so malevolent towards my clan that he had ordered a civilian doctor to preform a surgery on me when I was just a small child, to ensure that I could never reproduce. So that even after he was dead, the Kobayashi line would die out with myself. He could die a happy man knowing that we would soon be no more." She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "I kept my jutsu a secret from him until he was on his death bed. That was when I...demonstrated my immortality for him. Back then I was a little...deranged." She huffed a small laugh.

_"No!" She screamed. "He's dying, let me grant him his dying wish!" Shoko screamed at Izuna. He had her by the waist and was trying to pull her away from his father while Madara had her arm and was prying the dagger from her fingers. Neither of them knew of her jutsu, they only knew that their sister was attempting to die at the hands of their father who lay in his death bed beside them._

_She had offered the dagger to him, offered to let him pierce her heart before his own dying breath so that he could die knowing that he had eleminated every last Kobayashi. _

_"Enough." Came a stern but weak voice from in front of the struggling trio. "Let her go." He ordered. _

_They reluctantly let go and she strode over to Rido and fell to her knees beside him, her head bowed as she presented him with the dagger. He grabbed it from her hand and gestured to the two servants to help him sit up. _

_"She wants her father to die content." He told them. "It won't be so horrible Madara, Izuna. We can cross to the other side together." He said with an evil smirk._

_"No. You've made me head of the clan and I won't allow this. I won't allow her to just die like this." Madara said, walking up and grabbing her hand to jerk her away._

_"I've made you head of this clan on my dying breath. Until my heart stops, I give the orders." He told the boy. "Get up." He said to Shoko. She straightened and held out a hand to help the man stand. _

_He smiled down at her. "For once we see eye to eye." He said._

_"Please!" Izuna yelled. "Please stop this. She's your daughter!"_

_"She...is a Kobayashi before anything else and she has finally learned her place." Rido said with authority._

_"Ni-san...do something." Izuna said to his brother. Shoko glanced back and spared Madara a look. His brow was furrowed and he was looking at her with a look of shock but something else. She knew that he had already begun to realize she wasn't planning on dying this day. That just wasn't her. The corner of her mouth twitched into a smirk before she quickly turned back and face the man she despised the most. These days it was hard to keep a smirk from her face. She always felt like laughing even when she knew she was about to be stabbed through the heart._

_"Let this world be free of this despicable clan." He said before grabbing her shoulder and plunging the dagger into her chest. She gasped because it hurt. It always hurt. She felt everything anyone else would feel and perhaps even more since normal people would probably be dead in seconds whereas she would still be breathing, still conscious and still in pain. _

_She fell to her knees and took a few breaths to gather herself. She needed to pull herself together for this moment. This one moment if nothing else. Rido was probably reveling in the scene before him, thinking she was taking her last breaths at his feet._

_She could hear Izuna yelling but figured Madara would be holding his little brother back because neither had come to her._

_Rido sat back down, perhaps feeling even more weakened by the strenuous activity of stabbing his own family._

_After a few gasps and dramatic clutching at her chest she closed her eyes and allowed a small laugh to escape her mouth. The laugh continued into a full on bend over, grab your knees, manic laugh. _

_"What is this?" Rido asked from the bed. She lifted her head and sat up on her heels to look at him with a look of pure pity before standing. She wanted to be able to look down at this man when she told him one of his most important lifes goals would never be complete._

_"This?" She laughed. "This is immortality." He narrowed his eyes at her but she only smirked back. "The Kobayashi clan isn't dying today father. Not today, not tomorrow, the next day the next the next or the next. Not even the day after that!" She felt the manic laughter coming back and didn't bother holding it in. "I'll never die, do you understand? You thought you had it all figured out. You should have killed me when you had the chance instead you raised an enemy. You turned her into a monster and now this...this is what you get!" She couldn't stop laughing. Why couldn't she stop? _

_He scowled at her. "Immortality?" He thought for a moment. Probably remembering all those times he allowed her to play with her 'foolish little scrolls'. Those foolish little scrolls were what lead up to this moment. "It doesn't matter. You've lost you bloodlimit, you've lost your ability to have children and you've lost you mind." He said laying back in his bed. "All you are now is a play thing for my sons. Even they are probably growing tired of you by now."_

_She felt like she should probably be angry at that but nothing could stop her ever present smile. It even stayed when she pulled the dagger from her chest. Still there when she flung it straight at the man's face and didn't even budge when Madara appeared and blocked it. She knew he would anyway. But after a few seconds the smile faded and her face took on a dead serious look._

_"You will die soon. But before you do that, I want you to know; You never completed the seal." She said, tapping her cheekbone. "You thought you bridged it with the clan so that when you died it would still be here for as long as Uchiha blood existed. But you didn't, you tied it to yourself and only yourself. The moment your icy heart stops beating, this will be gone, my eyes will go black and this town...this world...will know what a real storm looks like. I will wreak havoc upon this earth like nothing else because that's what you raised me to do. Kill. Be merciless. Well here I am father. Merciless as ever." And with that the serious look vanished and the corner of her mouth twitched before she turned and vanished._

_She reappeared somewhere in their old training fields beside the lake and slept for days while her heart healed itself. It was her heart that took the longest to heal but it would. When she finally woke and drug her sore body to the lake, she smiled at her flawless reflection. He was finally gone. She was free and this world would finally acknowledge the Kobayashi clan._

"I went crazy for a little while after that." She said simply. It was a year of chaos before her brothers tracked her down. She had decided against desimating the Uchiha clan when Rido had died. When he was gone she found that all of her hatered for the Uchiha had left with him. So she took her anger and her hatred and she ran away. Once her brothers found her and stopped her, they took her home and instead of destroying her they put her back together, so to speak.

"The seal disappeared?"

"Yep"

"And you...

"Why are you so interested in my past?" She asked him.

He cleared his throat. "Who isn't? You're like a walking piece of history. Why read a book when I can just hear it from you."

She snorted. "These things aren't in books. I did as I promised, I wreaked havoc. I called it a tantrum but..." She smiled but then it faded. "Bloodlimits aren't meant to be used always. Mine wasn't, the Uchiha's aren't. Itachi is going blind because he uses his sharingan always, and he always uses it because he is going blind. It's tragic." Asuma looked at her eyes. He had never seen the Kobayashi kekkei genkai. He heard it was fierce and there were stories of the clan of demons because their eyes turned black but only one existed in his lifetime and she never used hers. "And just like Itachi, I overused my own. Tsunade says if I use it again, instead of killing me like it would a normal person, it would destroy my mind. I could be reduced to a mere shell." She observed his reation for a moment. "So, 7 o clock, Hokage mountain." She said. Asuma blinked at her; amazed at how quickly she could switch her emotions. It always made him wonder if she even had any or if she had become so jaded that she had lost them all and just went on memory for the facial expressions.

"Ah, 7." He leapt out the window and Shoko decided to storm the hospital in search for Shizune and her clothes.


	14. Twelve

**Twelve**

_The Lab_

"What?" Shoko hissed as quietly as possible.

"N-nothing...just" Shikamaru snorted, "You-y-yo

"Shizune wouldn't give up the location of my clothes alright? I would have slapped her around but that's _mean_." She said the word mockingly. "Kami Shikamaru, you act like you've never seen me in a hospital gown before." Shoko whispered. Irritated as she was, she knew she must look like some crazed escapee from the loony ward, sporting bandages, a white gown and no shoes.

"Alright. Come on. We've got four hours." Asuma said quietly.

"Yeah. Because someone was an hour late!" Shoko slapped Fujiki upside the head. She had to applaud him for keeping silent even as he fell face first into the dirt.

"I told you I didn't want you to go, damnit." Fujiki said, rubbing his nose.

"We should just leave him here." Shoko said, turning away from Fujiki and looking at Asuma.

"I'm not letting you go in there without me."

You're better off going back,drinkin yourself stupid and chasin underage tail. You shut up!" She whispered harshly at the same time he whispered, "I told you if you're going in there I'm coming too, you! Shut up!"

"Shh! Both of you." Asuma said, rubbing his head and wishing he had a cigarette. They fell silent and turned away from each other. "I don't see how you two would have done this by yourselves." All they ever did was fight. Of all the ninja he knew who had the ability to summon, never had he met any with a relationship like the one Shoko and Fujiki had. She never summoned anyone but him, he never dismissed. You would think they were best friends, until you actually had the honor of being in their presence.

"Come on. We still have to get through the forest without scouts noticing us. Shoko, can you feel anyone?"

"Shikamaru...have you forgotten who I am? I can get us there. You're going to have to touch me though. You're not afraid of..." She snickered. "...cooties, are you?"

Shikamaru growled and grabbed her slender wrist. "If you could teleport there then why not just teleport into the ground, straight to the labs?"

"Because the labs are probably riddled with traps in case any ninja ever did find a way in." Asuma told him. "Do you see now? You frustrate him and his brain slows." He said to Shoko, who snorted.

Asuma took her offered hand and Fujiki roughly leaned against her burned leg. "Ow, you little..." She took a deep breath and focused on the area around the second entrance.

"I've never ported more than two other people" She said to them when they appeared in a small clearing beside a cliff. She moved her leg from behind Fujiki before he could straighten and smirked when he fell backwards. "I'm glad we all showed up whole."

"What?" Shikamaru said, a little loudly.

"Heh, just kidding. The worst that could happen would be a miscalculation in sea level." She shrugged, walking ahead of them, closer to the cliff wall.

"You mean...we could have ended up a hundred feet in the air?" Shikamaru asked.

"Or below the ground. The last time that happened, the Nara I had with me didn't panic like that." She said, glancing over and looking Shikamaru up and down. Her face changed to a less serious look at his expression and she laughed softly, "That's a story for another time." She turned back around and became silent as she looked over the stone wall. She reached out as if to touch it but jerked her hand back quickly and wrinkled her nose.

Asuma walked up to her. "Is it a trap? How would they know?"

"It's a seal. Orochimaru set it." She said backing up and looking over the height of the cliff. "I know, because I taught it to him. He must have been using this entrance for a while and sealing it up so that no other shinobi could enter." She said. "Guess he really didn't think I would ever get out."

She made a few hand signs and her fingertips glowed blue. She placed a hand to the rocks in front of her and suddenly a large seal lit up on the cliff's face for a second before disappearing into the rock.

"Tch. That probably caught some attention." She whispered. She made a new set of hand signs, this time it was a long complicated string of them before a door shaped tunnel appeared in the rocks before them. She hurried in and the others followed.

Asuma and Fujiki grabbed a torch each and lit them with fire chakra before following after Shoko who had walked ahead.

"These tunnels were here even before I was born, if you can believe it. I don't know what made them or why but they run for miles and miles. ANBU probably only did a sweep of the small portion under Konoha but if they had the right knowledge..."

"Miles?" Asuma asked, unable to believe that people could dig such an extravagant system.

She turned to him and smiled, "During the Second Great Shinobi War, three specialized group of Konoha nin used these tunnels to travel and infiltrate Sunagakure and Iwagakure."

"They run that far? And Sand and Stone know nothing about them?" Shikamaru asked, amazed.

"Nothing. No one but the twelve shinobi assigned to the tunnels and Hiruzen knew of these. It was one thing he never even told Homura and Koharu."

"And you." Shikamaru added.

"Well, I was one of the twelve shinobi assigned." He saw her flash a grin the darkness. "Iwa." She finished.

"So, how many countries do these tunnels run through?" Asuma asked.

"All five of the major countries except Water. There used to be a system under River, straight to Sand but over time, those collapsed."

"How have they never noticed tunnels under their cities and villages?" Shikamaru wondered aloud.

"Seals." She answered pointing to the ceiling, where every few feet ancient kanji was carved into the stone. "Not even Hyūga eyes can detect these."

Shikamaru was about to ask about the seals and how she knew about the tunnels in the first place but before he could, they reached a metal blockade.

"Hm." Shoko said. "I didn't think about this." Asuma pursed his lips. "It's a good thing I have two strong men with me, isn't it?" She said cheerfully. She touched the surface to see if she could sense any traps on the other side. There were none. If there were traps throughout, she knew now that they would have been set by Orochimaru since he had been through the labs after the sweeps. They wouldn't be standard ANBU traps so she would have to be even more careful.

She stepped back and looked at Asuma. He looked over the door that probably wouldn't have been too hard to open had roots not grown around the corners.

He used his blades to cut through the roots and grabbed the handle and pulled. He pulled again but it didn't budge.

"If I really need to I can teleport us through. Ya know...if you can't handle it."

Asuma growled and pulled the metal door again. If Orochimaru could do it, it couldn't have been that hard. Finally with a loud creak the door flew open. Stale air with a hint of what could only be described as death, filled the tunnel.

Shikamaru tried hard not to gag, which was more than Fujiki could say. He had grabbed the rocks and bent over to dry heave while Asuma furrowed his brows and covered his nose.

"Maybe you three should stay out here while I grab it. There might be things you don't want to see."

"No." All three said at the same time. Shoko sighed and tried to breath through her mouth. She was used to stale air with a side of death from having lived for several years beneath the Interrogation HQ.

She stepped through the door with Asuma right behind her. The torch lighting up the room. Shoko wondered over to the stone wall and put a hand to it sending electricity through the wires. Soon all the lights in the room lit up, dimly, but it was enough. Asuma and Fujiki carefully snuffed the torches.

"I'd light them all up but I don't want to use too much chakra and tip off anyone above us." Shoko said. "The torches were better but, there's alot of flammable things-_don't_touch anything." She warned Shikamaru, who was reaching for a blue colored beaker. "_Especially..._the colorful things." She felt around with her senses. There were no traps that she could feel so she walked through the room to the next, followed by her three companions and her chakra as the lights from the previous room faded and the lights in the next lit up.

"Where is this scroll?" Asuma asked as he looked eyed a few jars of body parts left on a shelf on the far end of the room. She turned to answer him but noticed something. She vanished so quickly that he could swear he saw her appear beside him before ever seeing her disappear. Her hand shot up, charged with smooth blue chakra rather than the sharp jagged electricity of her lightning, catching a black egg inches from his face. As gently as possible, she placed it on the table in front of him.

"Standard ANBU trap. Hm...I thought I taught you better." She said, making a face at him. Black eggs were common ninja tools; eggshells filled with certain substances to either cause pain or blindness, usually used on civilian criminals or for traps."The scroll is in my wing. This is the training wing. The one most medical students and poison experts from that time used. Uhm...we have to go through the poisons ward and then Orochimaru's old ward before we get to mine." With that she quickened her pace through the rooms until she reached a door. She stared at it for a moment. "If there are traps, this'll be where they are."

"Orochimaru." Fujiki explained.

She reached for the knob and turned it. The door swung open with a light creak and she allowed her chakra in first to light the room. She stood for a moment and looked around, remembering the place as it was fifteen years ago, before she was arrested. When her former apprentice could do no wrong, in her eyes. The place looked ransacked now.

Asuma put a hand on her shoulder. She blinked and shook her head before silently and extremely carefully, moving through the room. She had meant to go straight through to the door at the end. Her door. But something caught her eye. She turned to absently look at the metal that glinted in her peripheral vision then did a double take, putting on the brakes and causing Asuma and Fujiki to crash into her. She started walking to the desk. _His_ desk, remembering a safe to be behind the wall of it. It had only been a small pen that caught her eye but it stirred up the memory of the safe. She wondered if it had been found and if not, what exactly was in it.

"Oh, no you don't." Fujiki said, grabbing her gown and pulling. He was smaller though and she merely pulled him along until Asuma grabbed her arm and stopped her. She looked back at him.

"In and out." He reminded her.

She looked back towards the spot where the safe was. Surely he would have taken along with him anything important. But then, one man's trash is another's treasure. There could be failure jutsu in there that he had given up on. Things she could complete. Maybe something useful. The boy was a genius after all. He always had the ideas and Shoko always knew how to piece them together.

She frowned, "I thought I saw something but...I guess I'm just tired." She walked back to the door of her office and opened it. No traps had gone off and it kind of irked her, knowing she probably could have just teleported like Shikamaru said.

"Home, crappy home." She said, walking in after lighting the place up. Old scrolls lined the walls, most opened and halfhazardly put back. She smirked and huffed a laugh.

Asuma and Shikamaru stopped nosing around and turned to look at her. "He was in here. Probably looking for my immortality jutsu. I wonder why my scrolls weren't burned like all the others."

"I don't know but this place is creeping me out. Let's grab the scroll and go." Fujiki said. He never did like going into the labs.

"Okay, the safe is behind that wall. There's a seal somewhere on the bookshelf." No, it wasn't but she needed a distraction. They absently turned toward the bookshelf she pointed at to search for the seal and she teleported back to the previous room. She summoned electricity to her hand to light up a portion of the room as she quickly walked over to the safe.

The moment she reached the desk, a trap went off. It was a simple one that she probably should have sensed had she not been so focused on the desk.

A small snap sounded and her eyes widened for just a second before she turned and threw her chakra charged hand out at the slight glint of metal heading for her throat. It was a metal wire, designed to cut off her head and when she caught it, the force of the wire pushed her back into the wall beside the desk, creating a loud crash.

Fujiki appeared on the desk and Asuma and Shikamaru ran through the door to see Shoko pinned against the wall and barely holding back a wire from cutting off her head. She blinked away the shock and quickly ducked her head under the wire and let go. The wire cut through the stone behind her and disappeared.

"Heh, curiosity killed the cat." She laughed awkwardly and she held her wounded hand to her chest. Asuma walked swiftly over to her to survey the damaged but she waved him off. "I'm fine."

He frowned at her. "What did I say? In and out. Whats over here that has you risking your head?"

"It looks like Orochimaru didn't completely doubt you getting out." Shikamaru said, looking over the wire. They looked at him. "This was obviously built for you. Unless he was expecting some other bite sized ninja to wander over to his desk. It was designed to take your head off, which would've probably succeed in stopping you from getting any closer to whatever it is you seem to be after."

"Bite sized..." She growled. "There was a safe in this wall. Like my own. I didn't know what he put in it but I saw him use it once."

"Seems like your precious student-teacher relationship wasn't so trusting. Safes and secrets and all." Asuma said.

"Yes well, I told you I doubted him...You sound jealous. Do you miss being my student so much?" She teased. Asuma scoffed and fixed her with an angry look.

"You were her student?" Shikamaru asked. He never knew who trained Asuma. He always just assumed it was the Third, since that was his father.

"Ah." He said and left it at that. He was watching Shoko as she ran a hand along the wall, her eyes narrowed and a smiled that was just a little bit deviant.

Once she found the spot where she was sure the safe was...only a few inches above the cut in the stone from the long wire that had very nearly severed her head, she stepped back and tried a few hand signs. She frowned when nothing happened. She tried another version of the same reversal jutsu. Nothing.

She stepped back up to the wall and banged her fist on the stone covering the safe. She figured it wouldn't have been that easy, especially since he was expecting her to try and get to it. She blew out a frustrated breath before backing up and trying a new reversal.

"What are you doing?" Asuma asked, getting worried now that Fujiki was backing away from her.

She tried another set of signs, before answering. "There's something in there. Something useful."

"Or maybe it's empty and we're wasting time. Stop doing that." He said grabbing her wrist. She fixed him with a look that suddenly reminded him that she was a very dangerous ninja. The look though, disappeared just as quickly as it came and she sighed.

"Let's go." She said, heading back to the other room. Just then she remembered something. She stopped and looked down at her hands. She knew this seal. She had seen him use it before, back when she trusted him. She didn't think anything of it at the time. What were the signs again? So simple.

She spun around and her hands formed three simple signs. The wall disappeared in the shape of a triangle, revealing a safe, large enough to hold maybe 10 scrolls.

"Don't." Fujiki said, knowing that, at this point, she probably couldn't even hear him.

Before Asuma could grab her she appeared at the safe, proving once more that if she didn't want to be caught, she certainly wouldn't be. She reached up and grabbed the door but it didn't turn. Not because there was a lock but because she was frozen in place. She growled in annoyance and flared her chakra through the wires in the walls. The room lit up like they were on the surface of the sun. The shadows disappeared and Shoko had just enough time to open the safe and grab the contents before bulbs began to burst and shadows filled the room once more. She calmed her chakra and sat down beside the wall to look at the three contents of the safe.

Two scrolls and a note. She didn't get to open them though because a very pissed Asuma grabbed her arm and dragged her into the next room, shoving her toward the bookshelf she had said the scroll was behind.

"Get the scroll. We're leaving before you loose anymore of what's left of your mind." He growled at her. She rubbed her arm and looked around.

Shoko turned and looked past him to the corner of the room and the lights dimmed as she sent a fraction of her chakra down into the floor. The ground disappeared and she ran over, opened a small metal door and grabbed a black scroll from it. She went to close the door but stopped when Asuma spoke.

"Wait." He said walking over to her. "Whatelse is in there?"

She raised a brow at him, "Hmm...kinjutsu."

"Forbidden, huh?" Asuma said.

"Oh, I see. You want to satisfy your curiosity but I can't satisfy my own?" Shoko asked.

Asuma looked down at her bounty. "Looks like you did."

"All that's in here in the one scroll and my immortality jutsu. Did you want to see it?" She asked him. "You were my student for a long time. I trust you. If you decide to live forever after looking then just maybe the world may be a better place. There'll always be one extra irritating Sarutobi walking around but all in all..."

"You would show me the jutsu?" Asuma asked. Shoko glanced over at Shikamaru who was leaning against the door.

"Shikamaru come here." He walked over to her. "Do you want to live forever?"

He stared at her, wondering if she was serious but thought about it. "No. I wouldn't want that. Watching my family and friends die, living through fatal wounds. I'd rather live a normal life." He said with a shrug. She smiled at him and looked at Asuma.

"Do _you_want to live forever?" Asuma already knew the answer to that.

"No."

"Well then what's the point in looking?" She asked, closing the famous, elusive scroll back into the safe. She knew neither of them would say a word about it's location. She was glad they both knew where it was. If Shoko were to die suddenly, which seemed a good chance now-a-days, then one of them could show it to Naruto. She stood and deliberately faced both shinobi as she did the signs to seal the safe back into the ground. "Come on. I can teleport us back to my house from here."

She stuffed the scrolls and note into her dufflebag and both men grabbed her wrists and she laughed. What was wrong with holding hands? Fujiki moped over to her and she sighed, knowing there would be a lot of ass kissing if she wanted him to talk to her again. He stepped on her bare foot and she bit back gasp. "Little shit!"

The next thing they knew, they were standing in her home. They all froze at the intruding chakra coming from the doorway.

Jiraiya stood, leaning in the door while Kakashi sat at the table, reading his orange book.

Shoko, turned from them and walked to her bookshelf, planning to thoroughly ignore them both for intruding into her home, but halted when Kakashi appeared in front of her, pocketing his famous book and looking down at her. Something flashed in his eye before disappearing and he over-dramatically leaned to the right to eye her duffel bag.

"Where have you been?" He asked, nonchalantly.

"Out. Playing shogi." She said indifferently.

"You don't know _how_to play shogi." Jiraiya said, straightening from the door frame and smiling at her.

"They taught me." She said gesturing to Asuma and Shikamaru who had a look of complete defeat. They had already given up? Che.

Kakashi looked at her as if there were better excuses. "Did they beat it into you?" He asked, surveying the front of her gown where she had held her cut hand. She must really be a sight right now.

She stared back, giving nothing away. Then she thought of something. She glanced around for Fujiki, who just happened to be nowhere in sight.

"He told, didn't he? I knew something was up when he didn't show up drunk. There's no other reason he would have been late."

"Why are you bloody?" Jiraiya asked, walking up and grabbing the hand with bloody bandages.

"Curiousity." Asuma deadpanned.

"There was a trap, she set it off and would have gotten her head cut off if she weren't so light on her feet." Shikamaru added.

"So you really did go down there." Jiraiya muttered. "And you didn't...you know..."

"What? Why do you think an old laboratory is going to make me go crazy? Have you all lost your minds?"

"Well..." Shikamaru began but stopped when she whipped her head around to glare very, very hard at him.

"Okay...well now that you've been caught, you may as well fill us in." Kakashi said and they did fill them in, while Shoko tended to her hand after batting away everyone who offered to help.

All she really wanted to do was look over the contents from Orochimaru's safe and work on her own unfinished jutsu but she would wait until she was alone for that.

After all was discussed and Kakashi and Jiraiya swore to keep it to themselves, Shoko agreed to go back to the hospital before morning since Tsunade would have a cow if she was gone when she went to check in on her.

She wandered past her own vacated room until reaching a separate room a few doors down. She crept in, and after ruffling a sleeping Sai's hair, she walked over to the second bed, leapt in and curled up next to Naruto.

For some reason, his precense made her feel safe.

She quickly fell asleep, despite the constant snoring coming from behind her and the knowledge that when she awoke she would probably be covered in drool.


	15. Thirteen

**Thirteen**

_Akatsuki on the Move_

The next morning found a hospital room with four team members.

Sakura was sitting beside Sai's bed, cutting him apples as he read through his mangas, asking her random questions. The sleeping Naruto was barley clinging to the side of his bed while Shoko lay sprawled across it, one leg hanging over the edge, the sheets wrapped several times around her, an arm flung over Naruto's face, mouth hanging open, snoring loudly. The sight had Sakura bent over laughing uncontrollably when she had first entered the room.

"Here ya go!" Sakura said cheerfully, handing Sai a plate of apple slices. He stared at it for a moment and she looked questioningly at him. "Eh?"

"I read that a kind girl will feed you in this type of situation." Said said. "Though, it's not like I was testing you." He smiled.

Kakashi walked in at that moment and took in the scene. He smirked at the sight of Naruto clinging to the side of the bed since Shoko had somehow succeeded in taking up the whole thing as well as all of the blankets.

Kakashi turned to Sakura and Sai. "Yo."

"Sakura-chaaaan." Naruto began. He had grabbed the pillow from under Shoko's head and was rolling around the bed with it. "I couldn't possibly eat anymore apples. Oh, okay well if you insist." He mumbled sleepily.

Kakashi turned to Sakura, awaiting the beating he was about to witness. Sakura's face turned red and she stood slowly but before she could even reach Naruto, Shoko kicked him off the bed and with a grace only a skillful ninja could acquire, snatched the pillow from him before he fell to the floor.

"...hentai." She murmured, tucking the pillow back under her head as she curled up, facing away from Naruto who angrily sat up and pulled himself back into the bed, curling up facing the opposite direction and shoving her over with his butt. She retaliated with her own.

This went on for a few seconds until Shoko shot up, a ton of messy hair falling all around her. She sleepily glared at Naruto who had already fallen asleep and was completly oblivious. She grabbed the pillow, placing it over his face and started to suffocate him.

"Why aren't there any normal people on my team?" Sakura groaned, running a hand down her face.

"Huh?" Kakashi asked, a little put off. He was normal. Sakura growled and sat back down.

Shoko paused and looked over her shoulder at Kakashi who was still in the doorway. He gave her an eye crease and made a hand gesture to follow him.

She shoved on the pillow once more for good measure before lifting it up and giving Naruto a huge kiss on the forehead. She whispered something in his ear and followed Kakashi out the door.

He leaned against the wall of the hallway so she followed suit and leaned on the wall opposite.

"We didn't get a chance to talk about this last night, what with being filled in on everything that's happened here while I was gone." Shoko was silent. He knew that she was aware of his last mission and probably knew what he was about to say. He looked her over before continuing.

She looked exhausted. He hadn't believe she actually put herself in front of those kids and held off an energy ball from the kyuubi, when he heard it from Tsuande. He always knew Shoko to leave situations like that to someone else unless it was someone she actually cared about and not many people found a way into her small circle of important people. It wasn't that she was completely heartless, she just hardly ever risked her own self for just anyone. It might have had to do with Naruto. He could tell how attached she was with him and him with her. But he realized last night, by the way she spoke of those kids, that she really had taken to them all. He truly believed she would have stood between death by destruction and any one of them.

"I've confirmed there were seven battles in five neighboring countries with a two-man shinobi team." He said. She nodded, aware that Akatsuki traveled in two-man teams.

"Seven battles? You mean to say that they've already captured seven of the nine tailed beasts?" She asked.

"More or less. They haven't crossed the Fire Country's borders yet, judging by their path, it's only a matter of time before they try."

She closed her eyes for a moment. Naruto. If anything happened to him, she would...she didn't know what she would do. No one would harm him for as long as she was living and able to move. Madara would have to wait. Or maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he _was_ connected to this group. Jiraiya's contact hadn't relayed anything but a message that Madara was alive. That was the only indication that she had to go on. That and her own gut-feeling that he was still out there. Somehow. Somewhere...and her instincts were telling her that there was some kind of connection. Something she was missing.

"They'll be after him." She said. Kakashi nodded once, slowly. She stared at him with utter determination. "They won't get him. I swear, I'll never let them touch him. Whatever I have to do, I'll keep them away." Hearing her say it, somehow made Kakashi feel a little bit better about his student's safety. If she was hand picked to be entrusted with guarding two Hokage as well as his own sensei's most trusted 'bodyguard', then Naruto would be safe, he knew.

"So this is where you were." Asuma said to Kakashi as he walked down the hallway towards them. He looked over Shoko for a moment, taking in her complete and somehow still beautiful, disaray. Her small frame almost completely hidden by her long messy hair. She glanced over at him and he stopped walking at the look in her eyes. It vanished and she smiled at him.

"I've got to talk to Tsunade about this." She said tiredly to Kakashi. He nodded to her again and she vanished into thin air.

"Can I have a minute?" Asuma asked him. "I need to talk with you."

They walked outside and Kakashi sat down on the bench beside the hospital gardens.

"So you've been checking up on the outside." Asuma began.

"Ah." Kakashi said, looking out over the garden behind him.

"Naruto and Sakura are growing up well."

"Mm...same goes for Shikamaru, Chōji and Ino. The next generation is going to leave us in the dust before we know it."

"Hey, Hey. It'll be a long time before they can beat me." Asuma said lightly. Kakashi laughed at that. "But it'll be a good thing for Konoha."

It was silent for a moment. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Asuma looked back at Kakashi, a serious look on his face. "Shoko is being sent to every front line that comes up." He said. "She's immortal but she's not indestructible and she's not superhuman. She's scared, Kakashi."

Kakashi blinked at him. He knew they were talking again after catching them last night. He even knew how much Asuma cared about her and he wasn't surprised he was worried for her because 16 years ago they were almost inseperable, but what made him think that the most insane ninja they knew was scared? Or even felt emotion? Kakashi cared for Shoko too and he would risk his life for her without thinking twice but even he knew emotions ran thin with the woman. She never ever showed she was afraid.

"Did she tell you this?" Kakashi asked.

"Ah. She's even acting like she's already on her deathbed." He added.

Kakashi thought for a moment. "She's a strong kunoichi. If anyone can-

"That's just it. No one can. No one ninja, alone, can defeat someone that even the First couldn't defeat."

"I know." Kakashi said with a slight slump to his shoulders. "Tsunade is convinced that Shoko is much stronger than she really is. Perhaps it's because they were never as close as we were to her. Her image of Shoko is probably like every other child's from back then. We all looked up to her and were amazed at the stories. It all made her seem like a god to us kids. From what Jiraiya says, Tsunade hated Shoko growing up. She never spoke to her so it would make sense that she kept the same image.

"It's not just that, that I wanted you to know." Asuma said. "...I think-

"There you are." A beautiful, dark haired kunoichi said as she rounded the corner.

"What's up Kurenai?" Kakashi said. She smiled at him and looped an arm around Asuma's waist. "So, what was it you wanted to say?"

"...We can talk about it some other time." He said, smiling down at Kurenai. They walked off and left Kakashi staring after them.

"Now I really want to know..." He said with a narrowed eye.

He made his way back to the room with Naruto, Sakura and Sai to let them all know he was back from the mission. He ended up listening to Naruto's over dramatic tale of Sora and the Kyuubi and how brave Sakura was when she ran to him and tried to heal him and how brave his Godmother was when she stopped the huge ball of energy from killing them all.

He smiled at Naruto and shook his head. The kid was always so cheerful even after being pummeled into the ground.

* * *

"So what do you want me to do?" Shoko asked from her perch in the window. She was still in her hospital gown and barefoot. Her hair pulled up into a messy bun ontop of her head.

"Find them, preferably before they enter our borders. Kill them." Tsunade said, pacing her office. Shizune stood beside Shoko, holding Tonton close with a worried look.

"Tsunade-sama, do you really think you should send her to find them on her own? Akatsuki-

"She can handle it, Shizune. She's the strongest ninja I know." She looked over at a smirking Shoko and added, "Don't let that go to your head."

"So I'll hunt them down, I'll kill them and more will come. Shall I kill them as well? Why not send me to the base to kill them all?" Shoko asked.

"They're the only two, right now, who seem to be after jinchūriki. Those are who we'll worry about." Tsunade said loudly. Shoko shrugged.

Kakashi knocked and walked into the office. None of the women spared him a look.

"When do I leave?" Shoko asked, trying to cut the conversation short now that Kakashi was there. He caught her gaze as she stood up and narrowed his eye at her, silently asking what she was leaving for and hoping she wasn't being sent out alone to find the two Akatsuki. She ignored him and turned to Tsuande.

"Now. As soon as possible. You've a clean bill of health." Shoko smiled at her and stepped out the window.

"So..." Tsunade said turning to Kakashi, "you're not going to tear me a new one too are you?"

"Hm?" Kakashi asked.

"Asuma's already been in here about Kobayashi. Are you worried about her too?" Tsunade said, mockingly.

"A little." Kakashi admitted.

"Do you disagree with my orders Hatake?" She asked, testing him. She would never demote him or anything, she just wanted to see if he would answer as bravely as Asuma had.

"...I...think that Shoko, despite her statistical survival advantage...should be granted a team, rather than sent out solo to hunt shinobi of S-Rank." He said slowly.

Tsunade smirked. "I would send team Kakashi with her but Naruto needs to stay in the village for now. I need you to pick up training him again since Shoko won't be around. The other teams have other missions and the ones who aren't out are in the middle of being re-membered for the special task forces we're putting together to hunt the Akatsuki. As soon as they're formed, they'll be sent out and Shoko'll have backup. You don't have to worry Kakashi, she'll be fine." She said. "So tell me about Naruto's new technique. Will it work?"

* * *

**Reminder: R&R Please. I like to know people are actually following the story. I appreciate the reviews I have gotten so far though! Thank you! **


	16. Fourteen

**Fourteen**

_Chiriku_

Five days, no Akatsuki.

Shoko looked down at her partner. Fujiki was still mad about the labs and she was too chicken to bring it up so most of the trip had been silence.

If she thought about it, silence wasn't that bad, considering the alternative.

The sun was beating down and they were in a part of the country between Fire and Grass. There were no trees, no shade and Shoko was grateful to Genma for retrieving her kasa after the battle with the zombies.

She raised a hand to lower her hat a little more and sighed.

"That's the seventh time you've sighed today. What's wrong with you?" Fujiki asked.

"I don't know. We've been scouting now, for five days and there's no word from these villages of Akatsuki action. Half these places don't even know what ninja look like. I think we're in the wrong area..."

"Are we getting paid by the hour or are we getting paid for deeds done? Because if it's by the hour then I have no qualms taking a week long walk around the border."

"Uh, deeds done, I'm sure. It's a mission. We don't want to fail." Shoko said as she chewed on a weed, wishing she had some pocky.

"You're starting to sound like the old Shoko; the one that actually called herself a shinobi."

"Heh, I guess."

"Let's stop at the next town. I need a drink."

"...there should be one up ahead."

Just then a carriage full of wheat traders emerged from the path beyond the hill. Shoko and Fujiki stepped off the path to let them by and Shoko caught wind of some of their conversation.

"-orrible what's happened there."

"And a priest? Who would kill a priest?"

"Bounty hunters, I heard that priest was one of the 12 Guardians of the Daimyo. He had a sizable price on his head."

Shoko frowned, "Excuse me." She said as they passed. The buggy stopped and the three men turned back to her.

"Yes ma'am? Do you need directions? There's a town just up ahead..."

"No, no. Forgive me but I heard you talking about a priest. Can I be so rude as to ask what happened?"

"Oh yes!" One man said, "Two ninja raided the Fire Temple just three days ago. The whole temple was destroyed, the monks where slaughtered and a priest was killed and his body taken. It was probably bounty hunters of some sort. That priest had a bounty on his head, you know. A big one."

"May I ask who this priest was? A Guardian you said?"

"Yes, one of the former Twelve Ninja Guardians. I think his name was, uh-

"Chiriku." The other man said. "Chiriku of the Fire Temple."

Shoko nodded a thanks to the men and turned to leave.

"Sho..." Fujiki said, glancing up at her a ways down the road. She hadn't said anything yet and he knew she wanted to. Chiriku was someone from her past. Someone important. Now he was dead and there was no question who did it.

She stopped but didn't look at him. It was quiet for a good minute or so as she stared out over the distance they were heading.

"How long do you think it would take to make it to the Fire Temple?"

"I'd say about half a day."

"That's too long." She said.

"You can't teleport there. It's all the way on the other side of the Country."

She touched his hat and for a second he actually felt funny. As if he could feel, for once, being teleported. He never felt anything before because it happened so fast but with such a long distance...

"Whoa." He said. He looked around. They were on the ground, somewhere. That was good, at least. "Don't do that without asking first." He turned to scowl at her but stopped when he actually saw her. Her eyes were black.

She knew her eyes were black. She could feel it, like opening your eyes under cold water. She blinked several times and shook her head as if to blink away the darkness.

"I don't know why that happened." She said, when her eyesight righted itself. Her heart was racing and she let a small laugh escape her mouth, despite the terrible news she had just heard. She always felt like laughing when she felt her mind slipping.

"Don't," Fujiki began, walking into her line of sight, "do that again."

"Yeah, I won't. That was weird." She said looking around. "Uh-

"I don't know where we are, so don't ask." He said.

Wherever it was, there were trees here. She teleported to the top of a tall one to look around.

"Stop doing that for five minutes, PLEASE." Fujiki yelled up at her. She teleported back down.

"Okay." She said. "Come on, the temple is about a fourth of a mile northeast of here."

"You mean, you actually got us across the entire country of Fire in less than a second..."

"Yeah, I over did it by a little bit but..." She laughed again. "I've never gone farther than a few miles before. Did you feel it?"

"Yeah I felt it. It gave me a chill. Don't try that again. Especially after the creepy thing with your eyes."

"I don't know why it triggered my kekkei genkai. I have over half my chakra left so it wasn't like with the Sora kid." She said. She looked down at Fujiki as they walked through the trees. "I didn't mean to scare you, Fu. I can't help what I look like when that happens. My clan was a good clan. They used their bloodlimit for good causes." She said. "The demon stories were just that, stories. It's not like they could defend themselves. Being dead and all."

"I didn't mean it like that, Sho." Fujiki said, stopping on the path and looking up at her. "I just meant...I don't want anything bad to happen to you. Tsunade- well you know what she said. Don't teleport so much anymore. Especially long distances like we just did."

"Okay." She said smiling at him. They walked the rest of the way in silence. Fujiki was relieved that this silence was much more comfortable than the last three days but he feared the events that would follow their investigation of the Temple.

* * *

"Bansai-dono." Shoko said as she and Fujiki bowed low in respect to the old monk who approached them after entering the destroyed gates of the Fire Temple.

"Shoko-dono, Fujiki-san." Bansai greeted in reply with a slight bow.

"What happened?" Shoko asked, walking past him and taking in the destruction.

"Akatsuki." He said.

She breathed in sharply and pursed her lips. She knew it. They had been looking in the wrong place the whole time. If they had gone south instead...Chiriku might still be alive.

"And Chiriku-sama's body..." She began, turning to the old monk. "They took it with them?"

"Ah, we can't find it anywhere."

"What on earth where they doing? I thought they were after the jinchūriki, but to stop here for a bounty?"

"Doesn't that sound familiar?" Fujiki said, walking beside her. "What recorded Akatsuki do you know that has a bounty hunter's past?"

"Kakuzu." She said. She looked closer at the damage. There were signs of all elemental damage, now that she was looking for it. It said Kakuzu all over but... "What's this?"

They stepped over to a diagram on the ground. It was drawn in blood but she immediatley recognized it.

"It's a sigilof some sort." Bansai said.

"Jashinism." She said. "Fu, what was it about that religion...sacrificing lives?"

"This diagram, from what I've been taught by the Tanuki elders, is used by ritualistic Jashinist sacrificers. They stand inside and any kind of pain or injury that the Jashinist inflicts upon himself is also inflicted upon his sacrifice, be it a mere scratch or a pierce in the heart. It only works when the Jashinist acquires the sacrifice's DNA."

"Kami." Shoko said. "Kakuzu? Or his partner? What did the report say his name was?"

"Kakuzu wasn't the religious type. This has to be the work of the other one. I think it was Hidan, from Waterfall." Fujiki commented.

"That's right...Kakuzu is immortal, why worry about the otherworld when you don't expect to die?" Bansai looked at her and she quickly corrected herself. "Er, well that's not the case for everyone. Not me anyway." Especially since she fully expected to die. But to pierce his own heart to kill his sacrifice? This other ninja, Hidan, must be immortal in some way as well.

"I understand Shoko-dono. These men, you know of them?" Bansai asked her.

"I know of one. Not this one..." She said gesturing to the diagram. "The other, I believe is Kakuzu, an immortal. I've fought him twice before. Once when he was sent by his village to assassinate the Shodai and once, several years ago, when he came after me for my own bounty."

"Then he is a formidable ninja."

"If Chiriku was defeated by him, then yes." She said. "Bansai, please...tell me about Chiriku. I missed so much while I was gone."

He told her everything he could remember about Chiriku. About how he grew to be a humble monk and when he joined the Twelve Guardians. When he became the lead monk of the Temple and his life in between. She had truly missed his whole life, leaving when he was 16. She remembered telling Asuma stories of the little prodigy and introducing them as children. Chiriku was the only person she ever referred to as 'sama'. Even as a child. To her, his soul was older than her own. He was wise beyond his years and the kindest, most selfless person she had ever met. He never deserved this kind of end. It was tragic.

That afternoon the two companions left the temple in search of the two Akatsuki. Shoko stayed silent and Fujiki didn't push for conversation. That was one of the things she most appreciated about him. He never forced conversation and he was always perceptive enough to know when speaking was out of the question.

These two Akatsuki, immortal or not, had both signed a death warrant and she was coming for them. She would insure that Chiriku was avenged.

* * *

Four Konoha nin made their way to the steps of the Fire Temple later that very afternoon.

"That's a _lot_of steps." Shikamaru commented lazily, scratching his cheek and surveying the journey upward. He, Asuma, Kotetsu and Izumo were the newly reformed Team Asuma and one of the specialized teams sent out to hunt down the two Akatsuki who had recently raided the Fire Temple. They had decided to start their investigation at the scene of the crime.

"Ah." Said Asuma. He had been deep in thought the entire trip. Chiriku. If he _had_ been defeated, then they were in trouble. He was trying not to think of his old friend but his mind was plagued with memories. "Let's go."

The team of four began to climb the steps of the temple, dreading the scene that awaited them.

When they reached the top they were met by an old and a young monk.

"You are Konoha-nin, yes?" The young monk asked them with a bow.

They bowed in return. "Hai." Asuma replied.

"We've recieved word from a monk currently at your village." The young monk said.

"I am Juushoku of the Fire Temple. You may call me Bansai." The old monk said. "I was away for a while but when I heard of the horrors that had befallen the temple, I rushed back as quickly as I could. This is what I returned to." He said with a sweep of his arm to the rubble around them. "A Konoha-nin just left here. She was an old acquaintance of this temple. Kobayashi Shoko and her Tanuki companion, Fujiki."

"Shoko was here?" Shikamaru asked.

"Tsunade-sama sent her ahead to hunt down the Akatsuki loitering around the borders before we received notice of what happened here. She must have heard the news and come straight here. She'll have been upset to hear of Chiriku's defeat. They were close." Asuma said. They walked in and looked around.

They gazed over the number of wooden coffins.

"Monks from nearby temples have been helping us recover the bodies." Bansai said.

"This is horrible..." Shikamaru said.

"And Chiriku?" Asuma asked.

"Chiriku-sama's is the one body unaccounted for. We believe they took him with them." The young monk told him.

Asuma narrowed his eyes.

"Uh, Asuma-tachio." Asuma looked over at Izumo who was flipping through a book. "I didn't want to bring this up but Chiriku-san's corpse has a thirty million ryou bounty on the black market."

"Bounty?" Shikamaru asked with a scowl. "If they knew about the bounty..." He trailed off, turning to Asuma who nodded at him. "An exchange point. They're carrying his body there."

"That is what Shoko-dono concluded as well." Bansai said to them.

"Then she'll have already started out to an exchange point. Izumo," Kotetsu turned to his friend, "Where's the exchange point?"

"There are five, including the one closest to us." He said.

"We'll send messages to the other teams and head to the closest one to us." Asuma decided.

"What about Sho?" Shikamaru asked.

Asuma thought for a moment. He hoped to Kami she hadn't already caught up to them by herself. Even with Fujiki's help, he was worried she would jump into something before thinking after having heard about Chiriku. "We'll just send the four. Shoko will find them if she hasn't already." He ordered then turned to the monks. "Thank you. In the very least, I will return Chiriku's body."

"No, no. Please don't push yourself. As a fellow former Ninja Guardian, there is surely a price on your head as well. Please be careful." Bansai said.

Asuma puffed out his chest and put his hands on his hips. "Don't worry about me. My head's worth five million more than Chiriku's."

Shikamaru snorted at his sensei and they turned to leave.

"So what was your relationship to this Chiriku?" Shikamaru asked.

"Why do you ask?" Asuma replied back.

"Because you're a chain smoker and you haven't had a puff in two whole days. You only stop smoking when something is bothering you."

"Man, you're good." Asuma laughed. "I must be getting soft if you can read me so easily."

"Getting?" Shikamaru asked. "I can read you like a book when we play Shougi. I haven't seen you like this since the Third passed."

"You know that Chiriku and I were both in the Twelve Ninja Guardians, right? Now that I think about it, I'd say we were like you and Chōji. When we were children, we became like brothers. When I left Konoha, I went straight to the temple to make something of myself."

"In that case I hope you never quit smoking." Shikamaru said.

"Never quit, huh?" He laughed. "I probably never will at this rate. Shikamaru...I appreciate your concern but I didn't stop smoking because of Chiriku."

Shikamaru looked over at him for a moment. "Which one is it?"

"Hm?"

"Is it Kurenai-sensei or Sho?"

Asuma blinked and sent his student a sideways glance. "Nani?"

"Well it's no secret that you were always hanging around with Kurenai but now that you're talking to Shoko...I saw how she looks at you." Shikamaru smirked.

"She looks at me?"

"Ah." He laughed a little.

Asuma shook his head and shot Shikamaru a face. "She looks at every man. She's what you call...a man-eater."

Kotetsu and Izumo snickered behind them.

"Ah, Shikamaru, you're young. It's easy to fall for charms like that but when you get older you'll realize; women like her don't care about men. They only use them for entertainment purposes."

"Like Jiriaya." Kotetsu added, shaking his head with a smile.

"Actually, I think Jiriaya is the one pulling her strings." Asuma said. "He's always had a thing for the Hokage, ya know. Shoko is just someone he-

"Asuma..." Shikamaru interupted. He frowned at his teacher and Asuma sighed.

"I guess I should be a little nicer. The point is, she doesn't want a relationship. If you saw her looking at me, it was probably because she was contemplating all the different ways to kill me." Asuma laughed.

Shikamaru sighed and slumped in defeat.

"Forget about Shoko, remember that these guys killed Chiriku. That means they have incredible abilities. Stay focused!" He called to his team.


	17. Fifteen

**Fifteen**

_Saving the Bloody Day_

"_Where_the hell are we going?" Shoko asked. She felt like they had been going in circles for the past several hours. All she wanted to do was find these guys and kill them both for what they've done and for what they planned to do in the future with her Godson.

"I don't know. I thought we were heading to the exchange point but we should have been there by now." He answered from a ways ahead of her.

Shoko growled.

"Wait a second." She said, stopping in her tracks. "I felt something."

Fujiki spun around and raised a brow at her.

She pushed her senses as far as she could. There it was again.

"There's a battle up ahead...Asuma..." Shoko said and took off into the trees. She ran as quick as she could towards the clashing chakra, all the while running through the known abilities of her potential opponents. She reached a clearing with a building; A rest stop, just as an explosion sounded.

Asuma was standing with his back to her, he was burned badly. A tall man in an Akatsuki cloak was facing him, some distance away. She glanced at the ground at his feet and gasped, before vanishing again, leaving behind her robe but keeping her hat. She always wore her precious hat.

She had been in such a rush that she miscalculated and ran up short of the Akatsuki who was inches from stabbing himself in the chest. She put on the brakes and ducked down into a slide, kicking her leg out in a sweep just before the man impaled his heart.

She came to a halt at Hidan's feet and looked at the ground, feeling a rush of relief in seeing the ruined diagram. Her relief though, was short lived because not a second later she was forced back to the ground to dodge a swing of his very large three bladed scythe.

The blow came inches from her own neck and she quickly scrambled out of the way of the next swing. She ducked in while his swing followed through and made a swipe at his face with one of her clawed grips, success. The cuts appeared on his cheek and he paused in his movements, apparently taken aback that she landed a hit.

"You never ever hesitate in the presence of an enemy." She clucked her tongue and dropped to a crouch, kicking a leg out in a sweep at his shins, he leapt away and she was on him so fast no one even saw her move. All the while, careful to keep him away from the diagram on the ground until just the right time. He backed away from another of her swipes and swung his scythe. She was faster though, and made contact with his necklace before having to duck out of the way of the triple bladed weapon.

"You fucking tramp. Look what you did to my necklace." Hidan yelled at her. She made for another swipe and another, forcing him farther and farther away from the diagram until she feigned forward and vanished, reappearing behind him and sending a crescent kick to his shoulder blade. He tumbled forward and swung his scythe around but she was already leaping up to the roof of the building.

Shikamaru watched her fight, how gracefully she moved and how quickly she struck. It wasn't often anyone ever got to actually see a Guardian of the First Hokage really fight but here she was, proving that she was still an elite of the elite. He was entranced but he knew he couldn't let his guard down with the other Akatsuki near by, despite the fact that he seemed more interested in watching Shoko and Hidan.

She spared Asuma a glance. Shikamaru had helped him over to Kotetsu and Izumo. He was a little burned but he looked fine.

"I've the slowest attacks of anyone in Akatsuki." Hidan stated from below, bringing her gaze back to him.

"I have the fastest of anyone in Fire." She said back from the edge of the roof while reaching up to pull her kasa down lower.

"Che. Don't let it go to your fucking head." He said leaping up after her and swinging once more.

She agilely dodged back a couple more of his swings then sucked in a breath and lethim nick her shoulder, assuming- no hoping, that once he acquired her own blood, it would cancel out Asuma's.

"Who the fuck are you?" Hidan asked, pulling back his scythe and looking over the small amount of blood on the tip of the last blade. "I don't usually kill little girls but Jashin isn't picky in his sacrifices." He said, licking the drop of blood.

"Sho, don't let him make another sigil!" Izumo yelled at her, just as Fujiki appeared beside him. Good, Fujiki could explain to them that she knew what she was doing. She looked back at Hidan.

"So are you gonna tell me your name before I sacrifice you, little girl?" He asked. She was so fucking sick of the 'little' comments not to mention the 'girl' comments. So she decided to mess with him.

Her eyes widened, "S-sacrifice? P-Please don't!" She pleaded with him, shaking her head. Oh, she was going to love this, well until the part where he used her as a sacrifice. She glanced over at his partner. Heh, Kakuzu was standing on the steps of the rest stop. She wondered why he hadn't made a move to attack the others or even to attack her considering he had spent a while hunting her down before she was thrown in prison. Instead he merely stood there, letting her act play out.

"Begging is unbecoming." Hidan groaned, "That's what I fucking hate about women. They're always so fuckin whiny. Eh, Kakuzu?" He called over his shoulder at the ninja below.

"Ah." Kakuzu said, not really hearing him. He was busy calculating the amount of money he was about to bring in once he killed the Jinsuko and the Ninja Guardian in addition to the other Ninja Guardian. That was a good days bank.

"Please don't hurt me. I'll do anything! Just please...I didn't mean to mess up your ritual." She dragged on. Hidan smirked at her. Was he really buying her horrible acting?

"It's too bad I'm gonna have to kill you. You would have been one nice lay." He leaned over the trembling girl and grabbed a lock of hair, bringing it to his face and breathing in.

Asuma glanced over at Fujiki. It didn't take a genius like Shikamaru to see that Shoko knew at least something about Hidan. Anyone who knew who she was could tell she let him cut her.

She let him do it to get Asuma off the hook. She did it for him, to save him.

Hidan backed away with a grin. "Only thing women are good for, ya know." He said.

She took this moment to step back off the roof then turned to run towards the trees. He leapt off the roof as well but instead of following her like she had hoped, he did the next thing she expected him to do. Yes she expected it but it didn't make it hurt any less.

She screamed and fell to her hands and knees only a few feet away from the Konoho nin. "...motherfucker..." She breathed to her hat that had fallen to the ground.

"Shoko-sama!" Kotetsu yelled. She put a hand up to halt Kotetsu before he got any ideas.

She coughed and tasted blood. Closing her eyes, she tried to take slow breaths, guessing, from the feel of things that Hidan had stabbed himself in his lung. Well, that wasn't what she'd had in mind. A stomach wound would have been her first choice had she been the insane sacrificer or maybe a shoulder wound, leg perhaps. Why the lungs?

"Does that feel good?" He asked. "Little kunoichi."

She spit a mouthfull of blood onto the ground and wiped her face then she glanced over her shoulder to scowl at him.

"Hidan." Kakuzu called. "I think you should let me-

"Nani? I can handle a little bitch, Kakuzu. Don't even try to steal this one. She's too cute to pass up."

Kakuzu sighed and fell silent. He'd figure it out sooner or later.

"So...does it? I think it does. It fucking feels fabulous, but that's just me. I guess it's different knowing that a wound like that'll kill ya. Fuckin mortal Konoha pussies."

"Yeah..." Shoko said in a strained whisper, sitting up on her heels and looking over her shoulder at Hidan.

"What..." He asked with a smile.

"Yes, it feels fucking fabulous." She said, spitting again, then standing up and facing him, inwardly patting herself on the back for not stumbling or swaying.

Hidan started to laugh, "Now that's my kind of little bitch! Kakuzu! Did you hear that? We found a little fuckin masochist!" He looked back at Shoko who was smiling back at him. Their smiles eerily matching in insanity.

"But like I said, I don't have time to play with you princess." He grabbed the end of his weapon and placed it over his heart. There was no real way to prepare for being sacrificed so she just stared at him defiantly. "I have to say, you're one hell of a catch. Didn't put up much of a fuckin fight though."

Asuma watched as Hidan raised the long pike to his heart. He looked at Shoko, he didn't want her to get hurt anymore. He knew it wouldn't kill her but he couldn't understand why she was doing it. He started to get up but Shikamaru held him down.

"Stop." He said. Hidan raised his brows and looked over at Asuma.

"Ohhh? Is this yours?" Hidan asked.

Shoko glared at Asuma. How dare him interrupt her magnificent act?

"Let go, Shikamaru." He ordered, turning to his student.

"There's nothing you can do, just let her handle it." Shikamaru said.

"Asuma." Asuma looked down at Fujiki. "If she didn't want to get hurt, she wouldn't. She's just being dramatic." He said with a bored tone to his voice. Asuma didn't care, he was determined to get up and fight.

"Well isn't that fuckin sweet?" Hidan asked Shoko, referring to Asuma's chivalry.

Just before Hidan pierced his own heart, Shoko glanced over at Asuma, who was struggling with Izumo and Shikamaru and staring at her as if he actually thought she would die.

It was odd seeing as there was nothing solid actually piercing her heart but it felt like there was. She tried not to whimper, not to clutch at her chest, not to cough the blood up that threatened to spill from her mouth. She liked being dramatic but at this point, having seen Asuma looking the way he did, she didn't want to make the scene anymore horrible than it must already look. She glanced down at her green kimono top as the spot of crimson on the front grew and grew.

"Oh yeah, that hit the spot." Hidan said. They both collapsed at the same time.

Shoko lay on the ground, staring at the clouds and wondering why Asuma had looked so worried. She heard her name being called from some distant place by vaguely familiar voices as her eyes fluttered shut. Surely he hadn't forgotten that a stab wound wouldn't kill her. Was he worried about her getting hurt? If Shoko was being honest with herself, and she usually was, the thought of him worrying over her made her feel kind of nice. Jiraiya had always made it clear that he cared for her but he was _in love _with Tsunade and that what he had with Shoko was just a companionship, which she didn't really have a problem with, since she had expected as much. Jiraiya had been stuck on Tsunade since they were just children and she supposed he always would be.

Shoko, on the other hand, had never loved anyone since Izuna. Since Izuna, the only man she had ever even slept with had been Jiraiya. Despite her shameless acts and crude comments, she didn't sleep around. But Asuma. When she had seen him moments ago, so close to dying...

Did she feel something for Asuma? He was her former student. Sure she teased him and he was often a victim of her more lustful moods. He never gave in though. Because he wasn't attracted to her? He just wasn't that kind of man? Because he was already taken? The thought of Kurenai brought her plummeting back to earth.

Her eyes flew open and she gasped a deep breath of air, clawing at her throat. Her lungs felt as if they were on fire from the lack of oxygen for however long she had been laying there. Seconds, minutes, years. Worse even, having one working lung do all the work and a heart that, as far as she knew wasn't beating, or if it was it was working extra hard.

She cringed as she pushed up on her elbows and glanced over at Hidan who was laying in the middle of the diagram, pike still sticking out of his chest. What a dramatic, crazy mother fucker. If he hadn't killed a good friend of hers and been after her Godson, they might have gotten along.

After a small struggle, she stood. Feeling like her insides were melting, she wrapped an arm around her ribcage and stumbled over to Hidan to kick him in the side.

"That was a fun game and all but play times over." She coughed more blood and felt it drip from the corner of her mouth.

Hidan blinked up at her. "How the hell are you still alive? I stabbed myself in the fuckin heart."

"Now that just sounds silly, don't you think?" She said, already feeling a little better now that her wounded lung was healing enough to expand. "I admit, I didn't have to take it that far. All I really needed to do was let you get my blood to cancel out Asuma's but it was just too much fun fucking with you." She said, her usual smirk, sans a little blood, falling into place.

"What the fuck?"

"She's the Jinsoku. You can't kill her with your weapons...you idiot." Kakuzu said evenly.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me that? You fucking let me stab myself for nothing? I lost a sacrifice and everything!"

"I tried to tell you. You wanted to handle it on your own."

"Fucking son of a bitch!"

"What? You're mad now? I thought you wanted a lay?" Shoko asked, then wrinkled her nose at him. "Eh, I wouldn't sleep with you if you paid me. You know what they say about tall men..." She taunted, leaning over and cupping a hand beside her mouth to whisper, "They have small packages."

"You fucking bitch. I have a huge cock! It's huge!"

"Hn." She grunted. Just a little more. "You're attacks are slow too. Are your attacks similar in bed? Because I can't stand a man who can't keep the pace." She said cheerfully.

"Fuck you, you little cunt!"

Her laugh rang out across the clearing and she winked at Asuma before kicking a rut into Hidan's diagram and taking off back towards the trees.

Hidan, predictably took the bait and followed after her yelling a string of curses that could rival only a veteran sailor.

Fujiki stayed behind to help with Kakuzu since he knew a little about his fighting style. He didn't want Asuma and his team going into another battle blind and he had a feeling Shoko wouldn't forgive him if he left Asuma to help her. He knew how she worked, she liked to be left alone when she fought seriously.

Kakuzu sighed in annoyance. "That woman is worth 72 million ryou." He said, eyes narrowed. Izumo's eyes widened and he would have started flipping through his book if he hadn't been in position for an attack from this guy. "I'd rather go after her if I have to choose but I assume you aren't just going to let me get by are you?" He deadpanned. His answer came in the form of a shadow. "Heh. Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll kill my partner before I find them, I heard he has a decent bounty on his head." He said.

* * *

Shoko continued as far from the exchange point as she could. The others could surely take care of Kakuzu and Fujiki was there to warn them of his immortality and summoning ability.

"Stop running and fight, bitch."

"Okay." She said and halted, flipping a clawed grip in her hand and tunring to cut him across his cloak and leaping over the swing of his scythe. "Didn't you hear Kakuzu? You can't kill me with that."

"And you can't fuckin kill me with those." He said, shooting a glance at her grips. She laughed again.

"I guess you're right. Shall we blow each other up then?" She asked while ducking and dodging his swings and kicks.

"Emm. I've been blown up before..." He said, pausing to swing again. "I don't like it. It really fucks me up."

"That's too bad. I guess I can settle with cutting off your head and hiding it somewhere your partner can't find it. Though I would have to tape your loud mouth shut. Anyone could hear that from miles around."

He leapt back and smirked at her with a riased brow. "Or I can just cut yours off and use you for a-

"Euh...it really is too bad you killed Chiriku. I would have liked you." Shoko said sadly. "I can't keep this up though, I have to help my friends so I guess I should start getting serious."

"Serious..." Hidan asked, "Because you've been playing around this whole time?"

"Like a cat with a mouse." She confessed. He was still smirking at her. "I told you before, I have the fastest attacks in Fire." She said from a few meters away. "Did you think I was only fast enough to land a few scratches?" She said from atop the fallen tree behind him, the claws on her left hand pressed against his kidneys while the claws on her right were held at his neck.

Perched on the fallen tree she was high enough to stand head to head with him. She leaned over his shoulder to whisper in his ear. "Is Chiriku's body in that rest stop?" She asked him.

"If you mean that priest I sacrificed, then yeah, he's in that shit hole. He'll have plenty of company when Kakuzu fucking kills those Leaf bastards."

"Kakuzu will be lucky if he gets to keep his greedy life, now that they know what they're dealing with." She said, pressing the claws harder to his kidneys. She sneered at him.

Despite his painful position, Hidan spun around and came face to face with Shoko, literally less than and inch from her face. He grinned when she blinked at him. "Never hesitate in the presence of an enemy." He mocked and kicked her away.

It had been a long time since she was actually caught off guard and had a blow land on her. It was an awakening experience. The kick was so hard that the tree she hit cracked and creaked until finally falling over with a loud groan.

She scrambled away for the second time that day and watched as the huge oak crashed to the ground. She was pissed now. Scowling at the dead leaves beneath her, her whole body lit up and her hair seemingly lost its gravitational pull. She stood, electricity sparking all around her body.

Hidan stood his ground when she vanished from sight. "Come out, come out, wherever you are..." He called into the wind. She appeared in front of him and threw a punch at his face. He dodged the first but she landed the second as well as the kick to his side. He would have gone flying had he not anchored himself to the ground with his huge scythe.

She reached for the scythe and sent electricity up the metal cable attaching it to the pike in his hand. She grinned when he went rigid and upped the amp a little before letting go and leaping on him.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and threw her left blades into the tree beside them before grabbing Hidan by the hair and forcing his head back. She placed the blades of her right hand in just the right spot. One blade to his spinal cord, one to his jugular and if she angled it precisely, one to his hyoid bone. It was almost as good as decapitation.

He smiled and blew her a kiss, which she thought was fucking weird but nothing surprised her with this man. She took a deep breath and plunged her blades into his neck. She didn't get them far before she yelped and let him go, quickly backing away a few steps, stumbling and holding the wound in her own neck. She had hit everything she meant to hit including her own since she failed to notice that he had been standing inside one of his diagrams. Thankfully she only nicked the important stuff so she could still move her neck and breath but she felt herself losing blood faster than she could heal. She started to get dizzy and pressed her hand harder to her neck. Blood poured down her arm and soon the side of her shirt and pants were covered.

"You shouldn't get so flustered when a man gets close to you. You might miss something." Hidan said, covering his own wound that seemed to be bleeding less and less. Interesting. So he healed quicker than herself.

The only advantage she had was her speed. There was no way he could have pulled this on her, had she been paying attention. She quickly appeared behind him, digging her heel into the diagram. He didn't care though, the damage was done and Shoko was slowing even as she healed. Wounds were one thing but her blood never replenished itself at a quicker than normal rate, so losing it was damaging things that might not be repairable if she didn't get to Tsunade quick.

She leapt back a few times and blinked away the blurriness while she tried to focus on Hidan. Once she could see a little better she attacked again. There was so much blood, from both ninja, that they were covered from head to toe. The ground, trees, plants and bushes around them were splattered with crimson which worried Shoko since she knew most of it was her own.

Suddenly she felt something and vanished, reappearing behind a new presence who had been standing on a higher up branch and watching the battle below. He was tall as well and doned an Akatsuki cloak but she had never seen him before. He looked like he had two huge leaves surrounding his head and one side of his body was white while the other was black. "Akatsuki?"

He calmly turned and looked her over as if she weren't a threat at all.

Despite her condition that prickle at the back of her neck that never failed her had her leaping into the air just as the branch she was standing on exploded into vines that shot up, straight toward her. She grabbed three kunai wrapped with exploding tags from beneath her obi and tossed them at the vines, not wanting to use anymore chakra if she didn't need to.

Planning on attacking him as hard as she could, she flipped in the air and pushed off a top branch for added momentum as she sped back towards the new Akatsuki. She vanished halfway down and reappeared just above him with an axe kick. He could block this if he wanted. Anything he used would be broken though.

She hit her mark but, to her dismay, his form exploded into more vines that wrapped around her body and all at once tightened. She glared at anything and everything since she couldn't see her enemy.

"**You are an interesting kunoichi**. We were planning on taking you back to Pein-sama. **Yes, he wants to speak with you**. But he wants you alive and we lack the medical knowledge to heal you." Said the the man who seemingly grew from the tree they were in. Duel personalities? Interesting. She wouldn't mind taking him home either. Throwing him into a lab cage and-

"Ehh...Zetsu." Hidan called from below. "What are you doing with my fucking sacrifice?"

"**She won't be sacrificed. Pein-sama wants to see her**."

"You're interesting." Shoko said to the man. She was half delirious from loss of blood and maybe a little bit of the mad scientist was creeping in now that her interests were peaked with this man. "You conceal your presence fantastically. I only felt you because I was expecting Kakuzu. Zetsu was it?"

He glanced at her for a moment then, ignoring her he went back to Hidan. "He wants her alive and we can't heal her after what you've done."

"She's immortal, she'll live." Hidan said. Just then Kakuzu appeared beside him. Oh he would be pissed after hearing he couldn't have her head. She smiled down at him but his expression didn't change. It never did.

"He wants her alive **and well**. She lost too much blood. Her immortality jutsu isn't the same as yours, Hidan. We'll let her go, for now. The Konoha nin will bring her back to the Slug Princess and after she's healed, we'll find her again. **It shouldn't be too hard, she's everywhere these days. Aren't you?" **He said, looking back at her. She didn't know what he meant so she just glared until the vines loosened their grip and set her on the forest floor beside Hidan.

"Are you sure I can't kill her?" Hidan whined, looking down at Shoko longingly.

"No. **Let's go the Two Tails is waiting."**

And just like that, all three Akatsuki left.


	18. Sixteen

**Sixteen**

_The Funeral_

For a moment Shoko just lay there, clutching her neck and staring at a lone leaf hanging from a bare branch. She thought it would make a good metaphor for something but couldn't rack her brain for anything good at the moment.

After a couple minutes, she was satisfied with the healing of her neck wound and stood up, making her way back to the exchange point.

She had to see Chiriku. She didn't know why but she had to see him. Maybe to confirm that yes, it was him, so that her mind wouldn't keep unconsciously holding onto hope.

She teleported to the clearing and stumbled over to a post, grabbing it and using it to rest against for a moment.

Ino was doting over Asuma when she saw his eyes widen.

"Kami." Asuma said, standing up.

Ino followed his gaze and she could swear her heart stopped at the sight that greeted her. She gasped loudly, causing everyone to turn and look.

Shoko was holding herself up against a post sticking from the ground, her entire person was covered in blood and she was clutching her neck with her right hand. She looked up at the sound of Ino's gasp and seemingly just noticed the two ninja teams that were occupying the clearing as well.

She straightened, not wanting to alarm them with her state since the blood was alarming enough. She walked forward a few steps and sighed when Ino ran to her.

"I'm fine. Ino, really. It looks worse than it is." She said, trying to wave the girl off. She just wanted to get inside the building.

"No, you're not. You're...you look like you're dying." She sobbed, grabbing onto Shoko and squeezing her almost as tight as Zetsu's vines had. Shoko cringed.

"I won't die." She assured her again. With that she turned to the entrance of the building with a scowl. She walked over to Asuma and Rido. "Has the building been-

"No, no one's gone in yet. The second team just arrived and Kakuzu got away. We were about to come after you..." Asuma said. He looked her up and down for any major wounds but knew what had happened when he saw the blood still very much pouring from Shoko's neck, through her fingers. "Ino." He called his student over. Shoko batted them away and stormed up the steps, kicking in the door.

"Wait! We should wait for the other teams." Raidō called after her but she didn't listen. She was beyond hearing anything but the blood pulsing in her ears.

She looked around and walked in. Asuma and Shikamaru followed after her. She strained to get a good read of the building with her senses but all she could tell was that there was someone alive still there.

She walked swiftley to the mens urinals and grunted, rubbing her temples with her free hand. "Can you two, please. There's got to be something." She asked them. Their senses had to be better than hers and the smell of death in this place wasn't helping with her absolute agony.

Asuma kicked in the wall between the fourth and fifth urinals and the three of them walked into a morgue looking room. Shoko glanced to her right and quickly grabbed the man by the throat. "Which one." She growled. He pointed toward the bin in the very middle to which Shoko took note of and turned back to the man. "You should never have dealt with Kakuzu, he has many enemies..." She dropped the man and he fell to his knees. "And you should have never bought Chiriku-sama's body. He had many allies." She continued, while she walked around behind him, keeping a hand on his shoulder to make sure he stayed down. She let go of her own wound and placed her hands on his face in the position of traditional death dealings of samurai masters to their own dishonorable samurai. The man knew what she was about to do and so did Shikamaru and Asuma. "Do you have children? Don't lie to me."

"No." He said calmly. Shikamaru cringed at the sound of cracking bones.

She let the body fall over with a thud. "Good." She said. She walked over to the bin and reached out to grab the handle, pausing only a fraction of a second before quickly turning it and pulling out the table.

There he was.

Her mind could finally stop coming up with hopeless situations in which she might find someone else with the same name, maybe someone who looked like Chiriku. But it was him. She stared down at him, face blank but nothing could hide the single tear that slid down her cheek and splashed onto Chiriku's own. She let go of her neck, no longer caring about the three tekko-kagi wounds. She reached over to touch him but finally caught a sight of her bloody hands and jerked them back, not wanting to dirty him anymore than he was.

Asuma, walked over to her and pulled her to him. He covered her neck with his hand, adding pressure to the wound and keeping himself busy to keep his mind off his dead comrade.

Something snapped the moment Asuma hugged her to him. No one ever, ever tried to comfort her. No one ever even tried to touch her, but here he was. Someone who knew just how special Chiriku was. Someone else who felt her just as horrible as she did.

Her knees buckled and she grabbed Asuma's vest, crying like she never had before. She wondered if this moment, here in this disgusting room with Chiriku's three day old body, surrounded by other decomposing dead, three holes in her neck and allowing herself to cry in front of other ninja, would drive her crazy. The two men who killed this man had gotten away. This man who only ever did good things. He didn't deserve this.

Asuma lowered himself to the ground beside his old friend and cradled Shoko, not caring about the bloody mess she was making him, while she cried into the crook of his neck. He lowered his head and nuzzled her hair, whispering soothing things to her. Saying anything that would ease whatever pain she was feeling and trying hard to focus on her so that he could keep his mind off of Chiriku.

They heard the other teams entering the building. Shoko sat up straighter and wiped her eyes, sniffing a few times.

They burst through the hole in the wall and three of them advanced on Chiriku's body, preparing to move him with the stretcher they carried.

"Wait!" She stood up and frowned at them. "Don't do that." They stopped and looked around for an order. "Please don't. I can take him back. Can I Raidō? Please?" She asked him, knowing he was the highest authority in the building. "Please?"

"You need medical attention." He told her, waving Ino over to look at Shoko. He sighed when she gave him her biggest eyed, pouty lipped look she could. "Let Ino-san look at you first."

Asuma moved his hand and let Ino look her over. After a few minutes of medical jutsu that would have made Shoko jealous had she not been only thinking of Chiriku, the holes in her neck were mended and the bleeding stopped.

"Your jugular was severed, your spinal cord and the hyoid bone both nicked. That was a bad wound." Ino said, wiping her forehead and looking exhausted. "The wounds match your own claws perfectly. Did you get attacked with your own weapon?"

"What? No!" Shoko said, miffed that Ino would think her careless enough to let her own weapon fall into her opponents hands.

"So he used the same weapons?"

"No...he- there was." She breathed out. "Okay he had this circle thing and when he gets your blood he can stab himself and it stabs you as well. Well anyway, he drew this circle thing while I wasn't paying attention and I stabbed him and well, this happened." She rambled on trying to explain Hidan while Ino wrapped bandages around her neck.

"So you stabbed yourself then?" Ino asked, looking amused.

Shoko's eye twitched, "I didn't stab myself you little brat, but- Yes, fundamentally I stabbed myself." She grunted in annoyance and walked away. Ino looked over at her sensei who had walked away to talk to Raidō about the battle but she noticed he kept glancing back at Shoko. And Shoko was doing the same thing. Wasn't Asuma with Kurenai?

"You have enough chakra to teleport to the temple?" Fujiki asked.

"Tch." She said ruffling his fur. She knelt down in front of him. "Thank you, for staying with him...them. You know what I mean."

"YeahIknow." He said with a wink. "We need to go. You need Tsunade to look at you. A few blood replenishing pills aren't going to fix what that Akatsuki did."

She nodded and went to ask Asuma if he would go.

"You're the one who recovered Chiriku's body after all. You should be there to give him back." She said.

"Are you sure you can-

He cut himself off when she scowled at him.

"I can get us there and maybe halfway home and that's about it for me. Come on FU!" She yelled. She wasn't gone five minutes and he was already on his back getting a belly rub from some random kunoichi. She stomped over. "You shouldn't pet stray animals." She said to the woman.

"Aww. But he's so cute." She giggled when Fujiki's leg started thumping the ground when she hit his 'spot'.

Shoko fake laughed. "Cute? This guy is a tail chasin, alcoholic, two faced little, sometimes rabid acting, shit. He's a violent drunk and he drinks all the time. I mean he actually _lives_ off alcohol." Shoko smiled and nodded and the horrified look the woman was making at her. "Mhm. He does nothing but get blasted every hour of every day of every year he's been alive. So yeah, he might _look_ like he's about to do a series of cartwheels and sing about where rainbows come from but I assure you, if he did, he would probably vomit on your pants afterwards then take a swing at you for 'judging him with your eyes.'"

The woman looked back down at the raccoon she was still absently petting. Fujiki smiled and winked at her. She drew her hand back and looked at him as if he had just layed out the dirtiest of dirty pickup lines, stood up and walked over to her team. He shrugged and looked over at Shoko and Asuma. "I didn't find anything you said to be too horrible. I wonder what her problem was."

Shoko snorted and grabbed her robe from the chair behind them, slipping it on to lessen her gory appearance then settled her hat on her head, tipping it over her eyes. "Let's go before it gets too late."

"We should post a team tonight, in case Akatsuki come back." Raidō said.

"Akatsuki aren't coming back here." She told him. "In the forest, another showed up-

"You fought with two of them?" Asuma said, jerking her arm to face her to him. He was pissed she hadn't said anything until now.

"No." She said, staring at his hand that still lingered on her arm. For some reason, she didn't really have a problem with it being there. It was nice, even though he was squeezing a little tighter than she would have liked. "I was fighting Hidan. The other was just watching until I felt him. He attacked me with vines. It was weird. He caught me but then he let me go. He made Hidan and Kakuzu leave me alive, something about..." She thought hard about what they were saying, wishing she hadn't been so delirious and intrigued by the plant guy. "Um, something about blah blah blah. I don't know, I wasn't really listening. The point is; they left because they were doing something with the two tails. They're done here."

"Did you hear where they were going? Where they had the Two Tails?" Raidō asked.

"No. Why would they say that in front of someone they're letting go?" She asked him back. "And I would have said something before, Raidō. All he said was, 'Let's go.' then they went. That guy though, the uh...Zetsu, was fast."

"Fast?" Asuma asked, kind of suprised at hearing her, of all people, calling someone else fast.

"Yeah, he was. He caught me." She said only loudly enough for Asuma, Raidō and Fujiki to hear. She didn't want everyone knowing that.

Raidō raised his brows. "He caught you because you were already tired."

"It doesn't matter. He's fast, alright. Write that down. Zetsu is fast. And he's like a plant. Like a fuckin...venus flytrap or something. And I didn't see or sense a partner. He could be solo. He seemed important since Kakuzu didn't even bother arguing with him about killing me and he uses vines. It's no genjutsu, it's real vines and shit. AND he..._grows_...out of the ground. Kami, I wish I could dissect him and figure him out." She blinked and looked around, "Not that I would dissect someone. I've never done that and wouldn't do it. Unless they were dead first, or if they asked me, or under orders or something. Stop looking at me like that. Let's go." She said. "Write that stuff down, minus the dissecting part. Oh and split personalities. Write it down, Raidō." She called over her shoulder as Fujiki dragged her along. "I won't remember that when I have to write a report."

The three of them walked up to Chiriku's now covered body. Shoko reached out and touched the sheet while she held Asuma's hand with her free hand. Fujiki, like always, leaned against her leg.

They appeared at the temple gates with Chiriku.

Bansai walked out and bowed to them both.

"Bansai-dono." Shoko greeted him. "Asuma found and recovered Chiriku-sama's body. He fought hard against the bast-uh men who did this, as did his team but they were able to escape. I assure you though, they'll answer for this." She said, looking around at the temple grounds.

Bansai bowed deeply to Asuma and thanked him for returning their leader to his rightful home.

Shoko wandered back over to Chiriku's body and knelt down beside him, removing the sheet from his face and taking one last look. She glanced back to make sure no one was listening. They weren't.

"Gomen nasai. I went north when I should have gone south. They even escaped when I tried to take your revenge." She growled deep in her throat. "I promise though, they won't go far." She stood and stepped over to his head, lowering herself back to her knees and bowing her head until her forehead touched the dirt. She placed her hands on either side of Chiriku's face and whispered her goodbye.

"Aniccā vata sankhārā,  
uppādavayadhammino.  
Uppajjitvā nirujjhanti  
tesam vūpasamo sukho."

She felt Fujiki kneel beside her and Asuma on her other side, then a few others who were helping rebuild, knelt behind them.

She'd meant for this to be a silent prayer to send off to her departed friend but when she glanced up and saw the entirity of the occupants of the temple kneeling in their own places she realized that this had just become a funeral.

She had to admit, she liked being dramatic in fights but public speaking was one of those things that made her feel like a deer in headlight but she focused on Chiriku and continued the ritual, taking what she knew from memory of her time living here.

Bansai knelt beside Chiriku and poured a small amount of blessed water over his forehead. She watched as the water streaked down either side, leaving clean lines through the dirt. She raised her voice a little.

"As water raining on a hill  
flows down to the valley,  
even so does what is given here  
benefit the dead."

She sat up on her haunches and watched Bansai repeat his previous actions, more streaks being created.

"As rivers full of water  
fill the ocean full,  
even so does what is given here  
benefit the dead."

She choked on a sob and grabbed her netsuke necklace, pulling it from her neck. When he was younger he had always asked her about it. Where she had gotten it, what it meant, if he could have it. She leaned over and placed the small ivory cat over his heart.

She felt the cold creeping into her eyes. The sky already darkened by the coming storm, darkened a bit more and a few streaks of lightning struck, lighting the torches around the funeral pyre in the center of the temple.

No one budged at the sudden crackling, as if the static all around them were comforting in some odd way.

Bansai started a chant in the ancient language and a few monks joined in.

Asuma looked over at Shoko after feeling her surge in chakra. Silent tears were running down her face. She reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing hard. He squeezed back and she smiled.


	19. Seventeen

**Seventeen**

_Never Eat the Purple Ones_

Shoko grunted in annoyance. "You have got to be fucking kidding me." She scowled down at her summon who was attempting to squeeze the nectar from a fermented Kara plant. "This is around the time I should point out that you have a drinking problem. I care. Please...Stop." She deadpanned, no longer even looking at him.

"Can it. I need something after having to be in your presence for over and hour straight." Came Fujiki's muffled reply as he gave up and just stuffed the whole plant in his mouth.

"I don't understand why you two stay together when its obvious you don't get along." Asuma cut in. He was tired and ready to be home. Listening to the two of them arguing the whole way home was grating on his nerves. He stopped, noticing his two companions had halted at his words. They stared at him as if he were an idiot.

"What?" Fujiki asked at the same time Shoko huffed and said, "We get along."

"Riiight, my mistake." He replied, turning and continuing on his way while the two behind him pushed and shoved their way back to his side.

Feeling bad about her earlier comment, Shoko took a deep breath and leaned forward to look at Fujiki on the other side of Asuma. "Look, if...if you did kick it because your liver failed...I'd...probably feel horrible..."

"You probably should, it'd be your fault I drank myself to the grave in the first place."

"Yeah? If I don't kill you first." She growled.

"Like you could pull it off."

"Do you _want_ to die?"

"You probably should have made a contract with the guinea pigs, you mad scientist, beaker lover."

"Son of a bitch!" She yelled, attempting to reach across and grab him. Asuma threw his arm out and held her back. "Maybe I will you alcoholic hentai-

"Enough!" Asuma growled, setting her down. She huffed and looked up at him.

"Is that anyway to talk to your old sensei?" She pouted.

"You wern't my sensei, you were an oppressor." She gasped and he allowed a short laughed.

"I taught you all you know." She said. "You wouldn't be half the man you are if it weren't for me!"

He smiled down at her. "Ah. All snide comments aside, I guess it wouldn't hurt to say you were one of the best teachers I had." She stared at him for a long time. Finally getting annoyed, he broke the silence, "What?"

"No one's ever said anything like that to me." She said quietly. "I was beginning to think my teaching only..." She stopped. She had begun to think something was wrong with the way she taught considering Asuma had abandoned the village and Orochimaru had defected after conducting such brutal experiments on children and before him her only other students had made a name for themselves as tyrants of Rain before being killed off. "I don't know I guess I was thinking that teaching might not be for me. Naruto is such a good kid. I was worried I might end up ruining him." She laughed awkwardly and cradled her hands behind her head.

"Hm?" Asuma said. "Do you think you 'ruined' me?"

"We'll I think...I may have...opened your mind to _options_ that probably shouldn't have been considered. Like leaving your village to guard the Daimyo."

Asuma sighed, he couldn't argue with the fact that she had been the one to show him there was more out there. "I was just a hardheaded kid. I would have found some other way to rebel against my dad."

She smiled at that. He probably would have. He was a real brat back then. "And the others are just, self explanatory."

"Others..."

"Orochimaru and three kids from Rain that Jiraiya raised for...three years, was it? I was only around for about a year but those kids could sucker you into anything." She laughed. "I thought that at the very least, little Konan would turn out okay but from what Jiraiya has told me, all three became fearful ninja who would kill anyone who opposed them. In time though, even they were killed." She said sadly.

"Naruto won't turn out like that. He's a strong kid." Asuma said.

"This whole new generation is. I've never seen one like them."

"Yeah, they'll be surpassing you before you know it." Asuma said, taking a page from Kakashi's book...well the quotation book."

"Che. Good luck with that!" She said. A few minutes passed in silence before Shoko addressed Fujiki. "That plant any good? Does it do anything?"

"It's actually...alright." Fujiki said, still snacking on them as they were found all around on the path.

Shoko picked a few and took a bite, "Hm...it's not chocolate pocky but it's not bad."

She offered some to Asuma, who politely turned it down by smacking her hand away.

And hour later Asuma entered the village gates, carrying a completely inebriated Shoko. Naruto ran up to him in a panic.

"Asuma-sensei! What happened?" Naruto said, followed closely behind by Sakura and Sai.

"Uh, nothing. She's just eh..._tired_."

Fujiki snorted, tossed a green covered book to Kakashi who had come around the corner, and took off toward the closest bar.

"She's covered in blood and you both smell like dead animals." Sakura said, putting a green hand to the passed out Shoko. Her face was currently covered by her hat but she was snoring loudly and probably drooling on Asuma's vest. "She's drunk..."

"No, she isn't." Asuma said, making his way past them.

"Asuma-sensei, have you forgotten who my Shishou is? I know a drunk when I see one and that..." She said pointing at the completely tanked Shoko. "is drunk."

"Fine, she ate a plant." He slumped in defeat. "I need a smoke." He grumbled.

"You still didn't tell me why she's covered in blood." Naruto said coming up behind him.

"Naruto, didn't I tell you team Asuma and Shoko battled the Akatsuki yesterday?" Kakashi said, taking his face out of his new book to crane his neck and snicker at Asuma when Shoko's arm, which had until then been dangling, shot up and smacked him in the head.

Asuma shot him a glare and grunted.

"Ahhh, try living with her for months at a time." Kakashi said, referring to their previous arrangements as being her escort squad.

"You told me, but you didn't say she got beat up! They must have been tough. Who was it? Itachi?" Naruto asked hopping around behind them.

"No. The Zombie Brothers." Kurenai said from in front of them. Asuma glanced up from Shoko. "When I heard, I was worried. I wish you had told me you were leaving." She said with a smile then looked down at Shoko who, in a manner that only the most unladylike of females could pull off, gagged, threw her hands over her mouth and took off to the closest garbage can. Kurenai started to go to her but Shoko halted her with her hand.

"I'm fine. It's okay, just-" She heaved into the garbage, "...just ate something bad! Bad, bad! Don't eat the purple-!" She heaved again and whimpered something about never eating the purple ones.

Kurenai turned back to Asuma and, with a charming smile, told him, "I'm glad you're alright. Shikamaru says that if...Shoko hadn't shown up, you would be dead."

"Ah, I had no idea of that guy's abilities. I shouldn't have jumped in like that but I wasn't thinking..."

"I know." She said, "I'm sorry about Chiriku-san."

Asuma smiled at her and put his arm around her waist but his smile disappeared when Shoko gagged again. He scowled at the sick girl. "I told her not to eat that plant. She doesn't listen."

"Oh, she listens, if only to make sure she does the opposite." Kakashi said. He walked over to Shoko who was on the ground, hugging the garbage can like it was her life line and ruffled her hair. She growled quietly but that was the only thing she could do at the moment. Fingerbreaking would have to wait until her stomach stopped trying to claw out of her body. She crawled away from the garbage can like a lowly creature dragging itself from the depths of hell.

"She needs to get to Tsunade." Asuma said, looking down at her as she curled into the fetal position. "She's probably gotten so drunk because of the blood loss from the battle." He smirked and nudged her with his foot. Kurenai slapped his arm.

"Don't be so mean, Asuma." She reprimanded. "She saved your life."

"Ah, but then I had to spend several hours with her afterwards. It's the least she deserves after the hell those two put me through." Shoko lashed out at his foot when he went to nudge her again.

Kakashi bent down and picked her up to carry her to Tsunade's office in the hospital.

* * *

"What's this?" Tsuande said, standing from her desk and walking over to Kakashi.

"I found it outside." Kakashi replied, referring to Shoko. Tsuande looked down at the woman and her eye brow twitched.

"She smells like alcohol."

"She ate some fermented plants on the way home."

Tsuande sighed and gestured to the couch in the room. He dropped her onto it. She mumbled something about purple ones and batted him away when he tried to lift her eye lid.

"Shoko." Tsuande said. "Shoko...KOBAYASHI..."

"What?" Shoko said, bolting into a seated position. "I mean, ma'am, hai." She said sleepily, falling back onto the couch. Tsuande knelt down and ran her medical chakra through her.

"Tell me about him." Tsuande said, referring to the Akatsuki Asuma and she had fought.

"Mmm, He's handsome and...and mean as hell but he can be nice too." She said with a sleepy smile. Tsuande arched her brows and looked up at Kakashi who was staring at Shoko, his own brow furrowed in confusion.

"Is he now? And what does he look like?" Tsuande asked. There was no answer at first and Tsuande was about to repeat her question when she was interrupted.

"Tall...dark...handsome. You know the drill." She murmered. Tsuande thought for a moment and opened her mouth to ask something else but stopped when Shoko spoke again, "But he loves _her_." She whined.

Tsuande smirked, "Who's 'her'?"

"Kurenai." Shoko growled. "If only I had her hair, or her boobs" She pouted, and then "...her ass isn't bad either." Was added in appreciation.

Tsunade pursed her lips to keep from laughing and glanced back up at Kakashi who's brow was finally raised.

"So you aren't head over heels for Jiraiya anymore?" The blond Hokage asked, genuinely curious.

Shoko snorted, "Jiraiya!..." She slurred angrily. "That man only ever thinks of _Tsunade_...even in bed." Tsuande's eyes widened at that and she cleared her throat. She got up and walked over to her desk.

"Not a word."

Kakashi nodded and poofed away.


	20. Eighteen

**SideNote: Please remember that reviews motivate my writing. I've been lacking in the review department but I've constantly got people favoriting and alerting so I know it can't be that bad! Please take a moment out of your day to talk to me. I promise I read them and each and every one I get is important to me. =) I tend to check out my reviewers' stories as well!**

**_Please_ don't forget to R&R. Opinions are welcome as well as requests on pairings and events. I like to hear your ideas and I'm quite open minded. Just don't try and make me pair Naruto with Sasuke or something. Haha I'm not good with those.**

**Also, I'm still looking for a good beta. Someone who pays attention to the plot. As you can see, I'm set with my grammar and spelling. I would just like someone to read my chapters before I post them and give me their own ideas as well as point out anything I may have made a mistake on, such as something I would have forgotten from my past chapters. **

**Eighteen**

_Distractions_

"So are you gonna tell me what happened are did you just make me pay for your food out of kindness?" Naruto asked Shoko who was sitting on the bar of the Ichiracku RamenStand and using the stool as a prop for her feet. Ayame was glaring at her but she didn't mind. She was enjoying being pampered for information and decided to milk it while she could.

Naruto was sitting beside her, in a stool of course. He kept shoot her looks every few minutes from his bowl.

"I fought this insane immortal preacher guy." She said. "He was a Jashinist and cursed a lot. He liked to stab himself…" She trailed off with a shrug. "I don't know. What do you wanna know?" She asked.

"Why do immortals even bother fighting each other if neither can be killed?" He asked.

"No one is truly immortal, Naruto." She answered over her bowl.

"So you can die?" Naruto asked, suddenly frantic as if she were in danger of dying this very moment.

"Ah. But I won't. I made a vow to you, remember?" She said. She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. "I promised I would train you. And you're a slow learner so that's good."

She opened a pale blue eye and chuckled and his irked expression.

"So how can you die?" He asked.

She furrowed her brows. That was usually a question she would retaliate against but this was her Godson. She couldn't even slap the little shit without feeling guilty.

"If people knew that, then I wouldn't be immortal now would I?" She answered.

"So you're not even going to tell me? I'm your _Godson_ for crying out loud!" He whined.

"Yes but what if Ayame overhears. She might use that knowledge to her advantage seeing as she's glaring holes into my face as we speak." She said without opening her eyes. Ayame huffed and turned to go into the back, "Why do you even want to know? You plan on killing off your old Godmother or something?"

"What? No! Don't even ask that. I was just curious."

"Maybe one day I'll tell you." She said. She hopped down from the bar and stretched. Naruto slapped a few coins on the counter, bid goodbye to Ayame who just hollered from the back and they made their way out of the stand.

It was evening and the sun had already vanished over the horizon. Shoko had only been back for all of one dayand had endured Naruto's whining for most of it.

"When are we going to start training again? You still haven't taught me how to teleport like you do."

"I told you, that's not a jutsu."

"Well show me how you did the _experiment_."

She growled, "It was botch. Something went wrong and things got turned around. I don't know what happened and I doubt I can recreate a mistake like that and I DON'T want to use you as a guinea pig." She said. "I taught you all of my speed release jutsu. Isn't that enough kid? Now you want me poking and prodding you in a laboratory to make you some kind of super human. You're already as fast as me if we're playin fair. It's a good thing I don't play fair though."

Naruto crossed his arms and looked away. Shoko sighed.

"Well are you going to keep training me at least?"

"I am, just not right now. I have to leave again. When I come back, we'll resume wherever you and Kakashi left off I suppose. Then I'll teach you all of the wind techniques that I know." Naruto kept the pout on his face and stayed silent. "I'll even make Fujiki teach you some of his own." Naruto's pout vanished but he still wouldn't look at her. "What do you want from me kid?" She snarled.

"You can tell me about my parents."

"I already told you what I know. They were both good people. I don't like dwelling on the past." She said harshly. She didn't want to be mean and in all honesty she would love to sit down and tell Naruto all about his parents but it was against the law so she had to keep her mouth shut for the time being.

"Fine." He said. She blew out a breath she had been holding and put an arm around his waist and leaned into him.

"I'm going to take care of you now, Naruto. I know you've been alone but you won't be anymore. I'll never ever let anything bad happen to you. And if I have to leave you, I'll make sure you can handle anything that comes your way. But for now…If anyone so much as looks at you-

Naruto laughed and hugged her to his side. "I know, I know. You'll kick their ass. It doesn't help that we're both the talk of the town as far as outcasts go."

"Fuck em." She said, lifting her chin up as if stating she were proud of who she was and she was. "When you become Hokage, you can make them all kiss your nasty feet if you want to." He chuckled.

"I want them to like me."

"Everyone won't always like you Naruto but you can make them respect you. Like me. I don't really like you but I respect yo- HEY!" She yelled when he swiped her hat and took off. "Come back you little shit. That thing is priceless!" She yelled running after him.

They ran past Kakashi, Asuma and Genma. Shoko yelling something about taking back everything she had just said and killing Naruto herself. The civilians stared at them with mixed expressions. Some in resentment and some fear but no one would dare voice their opinion around either.

"You would swear she was a kid from the way she acts." Asuma grumbled as they continued to the bar to meet their usual group.

"Yeah but lucky for me, she's not." Genma said with a smirk.

Kakashi and Asuma looked at him.

"I doubt she'll go for your charm." Kakashi said. "I hear she has a thing for someone else." He couldn't resist it. It was killing him.

"Oh? Who? Jiraiya?" Genma snorted. "The ol' man can't put it to her like I can. Besides I heard he tossed her yesterday when he got back. She might be looking for a rebound."

"Tossed her?" Asuma asked. "I thought they weren't even…you know, involved."

"Well either way. They aint fu-

"Doesn't matter, that's not who I was talking about." Kakashi said. Genma and Asuma stopped walking and looked at him with brows raised.

"Who then?" Genma prodded.

"Meh, he's already tied down, I think." He answered with a shrug.

"Poor guy." Genma said. "I'd break it off with any female for the likes of her."

"Why? She's like 60 years your senior." Asuma told him. "It would be like sleeping with your grandmother."

"Yeah, if my grandma wasn't related to me and an had an ass like that."

"I don't know." Kakashi told Asuma. "It's not like she uses a jutsu to henge her appearance. She froze her body."

"How do you know?"

"Because Obito and I used to hound her all the time for stories."

"Hn." Asuma grunted. "Doesn't matter. She's still aggravating as hell."

"I don't care. She probably makes up for it in bed. I mean, from the way she acts, I'd say she's got a ton of experience." Genma thought out loud.

"Actually she's only been with one person since she was married." Genma and Kakashi looked at him.

"And how do you know _that_?"

Asuma shrugged. "She told me."

"You believe her? She was probably just trying to get in your pants." Genma said with a laugh.

"There's no reason to lie. She already knows I'm with Kurenai." Something struck Genma just then and he leaned back to glance at Kakashi who just looked over and blinked at him before turning back to the street.

"Hm, whoever the guy is…he's one lucky son of a bitch." Genma mumbled as they entered the bar. He wouldn't bring it up again though. He liked Kurenai and if Asuma broke it off with her for Shoko then he'd rather it be because of his own choice and not because his friends hounded him about it. He still thought Asuma was a lucky bastard with two hot women like that after him. If Asuma did toss Kurenai he'd certainly swoop in on that.

* * *

"Where is your brother, Izuna? Hm?" Shoko asked the memorial stone. "You're going to have to help me."

She sat at the base, leaning back against it, facing the trees. This was the first time she actually visited it since before she was imprisoned. She never was sentimental. A name in some stone wasn't the real person but she was desperate.

"Could you at least give me a sign? Is he the one after Naruto? Is he the 'Pein' Akatsuki talk about?" She asked, rubbing brow in frustration. "Is he so far gone that he's trying to recreate the Ten Tails? Is that even possible?" She rambled.

"I have to leave the brat again. I have to find those two bastards who killed Chiriku. I can't kill them by myself though. I can't drag Naruto into it either." She said. "Kami this is hard. Things have changed so much. Before, there was so much war and so much death but now…now, there is no war. No war but somehow people are even less content with life than they were _during_ the war. It's like; you have to lose your family to learn to appreciate life. These people have forgotten how bad it could be. They have no outsiders to hate so they turn it inward. Like with Naruto. I'm so tired of…just…_being here_."

She picked some grass and threw it. "Fuck it. If you're not going to talk back or send a sign or somethin I'm leaving." She said. She stood up and kissed three fingers, then pressed them to the faded name at the top of the cenotaph. 'Uchiha Izuna' Then she ran her fingers across 'Namikaze Minato' before walking off in the direction of the ninja bar.

She entered and glanced around, quickly spotting Fujiki who, as usual, was flanked by two kunoichi. How he attracted women and what exactly he did with them was a mystery to her but she didn't really care to know.

She slumped and walked over to the other end of the bar, ordered a bottle of sake and poured a shot.

"Hey there beautiful."

She grunted at Genma, not really in the mood to be wooed by him.

"Aw. Why the long face. You thinking about someone?" He asked, she glanced over at him before pushing off the bar and swiveling her chair to face him full on.

"Someone like who?" She asked.

"Oh, I don't know. A guy maybe? Maybe someone you wouldn't mind spendin some time with?"

"I've no idea what you're talking about." She said with a frown. "Is this a new pickup line? I haven't heard you use this one before."

"What? No indeed. I just heard you had a thing for someone is all. It's a shame though. You know, if you want a rebound after ol' Jiraiya…look no further."

"What? Jiraiya? How do you know about him?" She asked. Her and Jiraiya had broken things off the night before but she thought their conversation was private.

"Oh come on. I know you're achin to be shown a good time." Genma said, basically ignoring her question. She gave a short growl. Perhaps she was, after a fight like the one with the Akatsuki. Battles like that usually got any ninja's lust receptors kicking in. It was well know that almost being killed was like switching on the primal reproduction instincts with any human. But something made her pause.

She looked around and spotted the table in the back, filled with the usual Jōnin/Chunnin crowd that lurked the bar every other night.

"Looking for someone?" Genma asked just as she locked eyes with Asuma. She raised a brow and switched her gaze to Genma.

"What are you getting at?" She asked. "Genma, how many times must we go through this? I'm not some shinobi groupie. I can live without fucking you."

"I know, that's part of what makes you so irresistible." He winked.

She tch'd and turned back to her drink. "I'm having a rough week." She said.

"That's why this bar is here."

"Are you going to tell me what you keep hinting at? Usually you just come out and ask to sleep with me."

"You have a thing for a certain Sarutobi." Genma said, straight out.

She choked on her sake and turned to him, shock clearly written on her face. How did he know that? Wait, what? She didn't have a thing for him. Sure she wouldn't mind taking him home but a thing?

"Nani? Who…"

Genma smiled knowingly.

"I do not." She said, looking back over at Asuma. He was sitting next to Kurenai, which made Shoko want to narrow her eyes.

Genma leaned in and whispered into her ear, "Prove it." He breathed on her neck, sending shills down her spine. She had to admit, if she wanted someone to take out her frustrations on in bed, she would have already been dragging him out of the bar by his collar. And she was frustrated, so why didn't she act on her instincts? It was all because of _him_. That damned man. He was going to go home and get it on with one of the the most beautiful kunoichi in Konoha. It made Shoko angry.

She turned back to Genma and this time she leaned over to him.

"If you want to fuck, just say so." She said, standing up and tugging at his belt loop. Angry sex was what she needed. And Genma was perfect for the job because she was sure a little slapping around would do him some good.

Genma stood up and pulled her closer. "I wanna fuck." He rasped into her neck. He bit her neck and she grinned, moving her hand to the front of his pants.

"Say it again." She purred.

"I wanna fuck you." He growled, trying hard not to grind on her hand. She was killing him.

"And tell me how." She ordered.

"Front, back, the side. Anyway, everyway. However you want it."

She moaned quietly and bit his earlobe before pushing away from him and looping her finger through his belt loop, pulling him along with her as she made her way to the front of the bar.

Genma glanced back and saw the whole back table staring wide eyed at them. He gave a lopsided grin and followed behind.

* * *

"Wow. I didn't see that coming." Anko said. "She usually turns him down."

"He must have used a new pickup line this time." Izumo said into his glass. Anko snorted.

Kurenai looked over at Asuma, who was exchanging glances with Kakashi. She pursed her lips. "I hate when you men talk through looks." She said, shoving him playfully.

Asuma laughed and turned to her. "You women do the same thing." He retorted with a smirk.

* * *

Shoko smirked and walked down the street, still holding onto her prey who was obediently following behind with little resistance. She halted though, causing Genma to run into her back. They caught themselves and turned to the intruder.

"Kakashi." She said, confused. "What are you doing here? I thought I saw you at the bar?"

"Yeah Kakashi…_what the fuck_?" Genma asked, shooting him a look.

"Shoko, we both know you don't really want to sleep with Konoha's number one womanizer."

"Eh?" Shoko asked, looking back at Genma who tried to summon up an innocent look. It didn't work but she could care less. "Why not? I need something to take my anger out on. Genma needs to be slapped around a little. It's win, win."

Kakashi sighed. Why was she always so shamelessly honest?

"Maybe because you really want what you can't have…" Kakashi said.

"Jiraiya…I can have him whenever I like. What's with you?"

"I wasn't talking about Jiraiya. I was talking about…" He trailed off, not sure if he wanted to piss her off.

"Asuma?" She asked nonchalantly. He blinked at her then looked at Genma who looked defeated.

"Uh, yeah." He said.

"I've no idea how you two know that. I don't care. Asuma is with Kurenai. Jiraiya is stuck on someone else and I want a last minute distraction. Genma is as good as any. Why, do you care? Are you jealous?" She asked with snort.

Kakashi didn't answer that because he was busy looking behind her with a surprised look.

She followed his gaze, prepared to elbow Genma for whatever nasty gesture he was making behind her but stopped in her tracks when she saw Asuma behind him, staring at her as if she had just kicked a puppy.

"Oh…" She said. "You know, it's fucking rude to eavesdrop." She told him, letting a little anger replace the slight embarrassment of having been overheard.

"I didn't mean to. I was only coming out to talk to Kakashi." He shot back.

They glared at each other for a minute. Shoko sighed and closed her eyes.

"I'm going." She rubbed her temples. "Tell Fujiki _not_to bring home some floozy tonight. It's too fucking weird waking up to a woman who just did Kami knows what with a raccoon. I just can't handle it."

"Wait." Asuma said to her back. She turned and stared indifferently at him. She was hoping this could be one of those things that was said but then…it wasn't said. "When are you leaving?" He asked.

"Leaving?" Kakashi asked her. "Where you going to tell me or where you just going to bolt like last time again?"

She shot Asuma a 'Gee Thanks' look then addressed Kakashi. "No father, I was planning on Naruto telling you. What is the big deal with me leaving? It's like you all want me to tell you my goodbyes because you fully expect me to die. Have a little faith."

"I don't want you going out there hunting down an Akatsuki team who nearly put you in a coma last time. You can't fight them by yourself." Kakashi told her. What was with him? He never spoke this much in his life.

"I'm leaving tomorrow."

"What?" Kakashi and Asuma said at the same time. She arched her brows.

"Is there a problem? Would it be better if I left the day after? Day after that? Either way, the outcome will be the same." She said with a dismissing wave of her hand. "Listen to me, I have a mission. I have to find and kill a man who could defeat the Zombie Brothers with a glare, literally. If I can't even hold my own with them, what hope do I have against my brother?" She didn't wait for an answer, she just vanished.

"Son of a bitch." Genma said, scowling at both men. "I was this fucking close."

"I just saved your life." Kakashi said to him then they both looked at Asuma. He stood there, brows furrowed into a frown as he stared at the spot Shoko had previously stood.

"Well, now you know." Genma said with a slump.

"I never thought she felt that way." Asuma said. "She's usually just cruel."

"Well, are you going to break it off with Kurenai?"

"What? No." Asuma said quickly. "Just because another woman has a thing for me, doesn't mean I'm going to break things off with Kurenai."

"Well that's good to know." Came a feminine voice from behind the group of men.

"Well I'm going back in." Said Genma. Kakashi nodded and they both left.

"Are you sure you don't want to leave me for someone like her?" Kurenai teased. "She is beautiful and young…well, in the physical sense."

Asuma smirked but it vanished and he stared off into space.

"Asuma?" Kurenai asked.

He sighed and smiled down at her. He had to admit, at one point in time he was determined to make Shoko his wife. But then again, he was only five and that was before he had truly gotten to know her. He could never love someone who had proven herself so selfish. She might have protected those kids a few times. She might have saved Asuma the other day. And hell, she may have been a different ninja before he was born but he had only known her to be hateful to most of her own village and as time went on her resentment only got worse. He knew she only stuck around because of Minato and now it was because of Naruto.

"No, I wouldn't." He said.

"Good." Kurenai smirked and they went back into the bar.

* * *

Shoko lay back atop the roof of the Hokage tower. She had often slept here during her Yogo-Sha days and then for a while during Minato's Hokagedom.

"Those were the days." She mumbled, eyes closed while she listened to the crickets chirping below.

She thought about the unfinished jutsu. She had spent the last night and most of that morning working on it but something didn't fit. There was a road block she had gotten stuck at long ago and she still had yet to get around it. If only she had asked Orochimaru for help when she had him.

She sighed loudly. She needed to get laid. That was her problem. Maybe if she had grabbed Genma and ran while she had a chance…by now she would probably be scribbling away on that scroll with a gorgeous man sleeping away in her bed.

She laughed.

She felt like it might be easier if she did lose her mind like she had all those years back. She didn't remember much from that time but she remembered not being burdened with caring and worrying about others. All she had cared about was herself and that made life simple. Eat, sleep, drink…work on a new experiment. Easy. Now she had to care and it was exhausting. She felt like sighing every time she threw herself in front of an energy ball or into a battle with an immortal maniac but she couldn't stop herself.

But then again, self preservation kept her alive so long ago, it was true, but caring so much was what was keeping her alive now. She was tired of living, as morbid as that was, but she refused to rest until Naruto was safe and Naruto would only be safe when Uchiha Madara was dead as well as Akatsuki.

Truth be told though, she was in the same predicament with this as she was with the damned scroll. A roadblock. No idea what to do. She had no leads and no super powers that would ensure his demise. Sure she could take a few beatings and keep kicking but immortality wasn't going to kill Uchiha Madara. She needed something powerful. She needed something like the Kyuubi. Like Naruto. But was she ballsy enough to let him fight without being too overprotective? She didn't know. As it stood, she wouldn't even think about letting him fight but once he was good and trained. Once he could teach himself to use the Kyuubi instead of being used…the world hadn't seen someone as powerful as Naruto had the potential to be since Hashirama. And if she preformed _that_jutsu on him…

No, she was getting out of hand with her thought process. That jutsu had only been preformed once and it nearly killed her. She couldn't risk it with him, not until he was old enough to decide on his own if he wanted to live forever.

She closed her eyes for what only seemed like a moment but when she opened them again, the heat of the sun was beaming down on her as was the smiling face of the most annoying Godson ever.

"Naruto." She said quietly. "You don't realize how creepy it is for me to wake up to this scene." She groaned, picking up her hat from beside her and throwing it over her face.

"But I want to train!" He whined from somewhere above.

"Didn't I tell you, I can't do it today? I'm leaving. Now go away. _Please_."

"Which is it? Are you leaving or do you want me to leave?"

"I'm leaving after you give me a minute to wake up." She practically snored.

"Tsuande-bachan said to tell you to come down from here. She said your snoring is making her want to strangle Shizune."

"Oh my, well I'd better hurry off here then shouldn't I?" She deadpanned, stretching like a cat and rolling over to face away from him.

"She also said to tell you that you're not allowed to leave the village."

"WHAT…" Shoko yelled. Naruto flinched and shrank away from her with a nervous laugh. She vanished.

"What do you mean, I can't leave the village? What are you pulling here Tsunade? You want me to protect it or you don't? Which is it…" Shoko yelled into the room from the window.

"Ohayou!" Ino called from inside. Shoko looked around. Tsunade, Shizune, Sakura, Team Asuma as well as Kakashi stood around the room.

"Ookay. I'll just wait." She said crossing her arms and leaning against the frame.

"Oh, this meeting includes you too, Sho. Come on in." Tsunade said, a little cheerfully. No, when Tsunade was cheerful, there was something awry. Shoko narrowed her eyes and stepped into the room. She walked over to the desk and hopped up to sit cross legged on the edge. Tsunade took a deep breath and turned from her to stare out the window.

"I understand your motivation to go after the Zombie Brothers." She said. "I know that I agreed to let you but that was before I was bombarded with complaints. Apparently these two Akatsuki are more than you can handle which somewhat discourages me…" Tsunade smirked when she practically felt two holes boring into the back of her head. "Don't get me wrong. I know you're a capable shinobi, but the fact is, I can't have you incapacitated before you get rid of the main problem. So I'm sending help."

"Help…" Shoko repeated.

"Yes Kobayashi, help. Team Asuma and Kakashi will be assisting in this mission. Is there a problem with that?" Tsunade asked, turning to look at Shoko and resting her hands on the back of the desk chair. Shoko looked like she was about to open fire with her mouth but quickly shut it when Tsunade barley squeezed the chair and a huge crack skittered down the back of it. Shoko stared at the crack for a moment before clearing her throat and shaking her head. Tsunade smiled sweetly. "Good."

"I can't wait to see you fight Akatsuki!" Ino squealed. "Finally a woman who can kick ass better than these men."

Shoko turned to face her then looked her up and down like a drill sergeant would. She hopped off the desk and walked over to Ino. "Ino, you're going to be fighting Akatsuki. Rarely is there ever a moment to watch a comrade truly fight. You'll be in the fray as well. Can you handle that?"

Ino looked uncertain for a moment before her face took on a determined look. She nodded once and Shoko smiled at her briefly. She would rather be alone; the instinct to keep an eye on every one of them would be over whelming.

"Whatever." She mumbled walking out the door. She stopped when Tsunade addressed her again.

"You will all be leaving tomorrow at dawn." She said, a smile tugging at her lips. "That way you can squeeze in a little training with Naruto. I know how much you've missed that."

She growled and slammed the door behind her. If one looked closely, one might have seen the small, blue sparks of electricity circling around the knob for a moment before disappearing.

"Well that went well." Tsunade said, pulling out a bottle of sake and pouring a glass.

"Thank you Hokage-sama." Kakashi said from his book.

"I don't understand you two." Tsunade said. "You both know, better than most that we're shinobi and shinobi take risks for their villages. It's a job. It's been her job for longer than any of us. You can't suddenly begin to baby her for fear of her not coming back. I understand you've all become close but I don't see you, Kakashi, making complaints about Asuma being sent on a _scary _mission, or the other way around. You both need to get a damn grip and get out of my office." She had begun the lecture calmly but as her words went on so did her voice grow and by the end of the last sentence everyone was already huddled in a group at the door. They vanished the moment she dismissed them.

"Sakura." She called.

"Hai."

"Team 7 will be Team 10's backup but only if Naruto is able to complete his training within 24 hours."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama!" Sakura took off to tell Naruto and Sai the news.


	21. Nineteen

**Nineteen**

_Team Captain & Unrequited Love_

The evening light shone through the trees and straight into Shoko eyes, causing her to lower the tip of her rice hat a little more.

"He's one of the best of his age group. There's no doubt that he can handle his own but…are you sure? I mean, these are S-Rank criminals with _unbelievable_ abilities…" She prodded.

Shikaku laughed softly. "Look, I know what you're doing. Shikamaru is old enough to make his own choices and if he chooses to assist you in battle, then I'll stand behind him."

Shoko sighed and fell back from her seated position onto her back, pulling her hat down over her face.

"I feel like I have to protect them every second, Shikamaru included, even when I know he doesn't need it."

"I understand and you _will_ have his back. I believe that if he needs you, you'll be there but you worry too much. Have a little faith in this generation. They'll surprise you how often they come out on top." They simultaneously knocked on the wooden porch.

"Fine but if that little brat gets me killed because I had to save him…I'll be pissed." She yawned. A day of training Naruto…well most of it was spent avoiding him but even that was exhausting. The kid had gotten pretty good at sensing and was constantly on her tail.

"He won't let that happen. It's why he's decided to come with you. To have your back."

"If only there were more Shikamarus." She sighed.

"I know you're bitter with this village." Shikaku said boldly. He was always bold with her and she appreciated it. "But what happened to you, as injustice as it was, wasn't the village's doing." He looked over at her and knew he didn't have to say whose it was. "The villagers act the way they do because that's all they've known of you. They're scared of you and you haven't exactly helped change their perceptions."

She grinned beneath her hat. "I don't care what they think. I don't care what anyone thinks anymore. Nothing can change that. Not even you, Shikaku."

He looked at her with a look of sad defeat and sighed. "A woman scorned, I suppose."

"But…" She continued. "This village will be changed once Naruto is made Hokage. Perhaps if I live to see it, my faith in this place may be restored somewhat."

"What's this nonsense about living to see the next Hokage? No immortal should talk so morbidly." Came a sharp, feminine voice of authority from inside. Shikaku and Shoko cringed.

"Ah, well you know what I mean. When it happens I'll be sure to witness it!" Shoko said, leaping up and dusting herself off.

"Where do you think you're taking off to?" Yoshino said, lifting the frying pan she had in her hand. She may not have intended to look intimidating with it, but that was how she came off. Shoko glanced down at Shikaku who was turning away with a smirk. No help there.

"Uh…"

"No. You're staying for dinner. Go." She said pointing inside.

Shoko slumped. She just wanted to go home and sleep. She couldn't exactly turn down a free meal though.

"And take the hat off. You need to show that pretty face more often!" Yoshino said, grabbing for the kasa. Shoko ducked and removed it before walking into the house grumbling about overbearing women.

"What?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Heh."

* * *

It was afternoon and they had gotten a late start due to Shoko and Shikaku's drinking game the night before and Shoko had a spitting headache, which only made her meaner.

"I'm sure I don't have to say this but as of this moment, _you_ are _my_ team. _You_ will follow _my_ orders. If you don't I won't come to your rescue when you find yourself tinkering on the edge of death. One less pathetic ninja won't cause any lack of sleep where I'm concerned." Shoko said, pacing in front of the group of shinobi; Team Asuma, Kakashi and Fujiki.

"Just like old times." Asuma muttered to Kakashi.

"Uh…Sho-

"I'm not done!" She yelled, cutting Shikamaru off. He sighed and slumped. "That's another thing. When I'm talkin, shut up. Some of you are _so loud_ I can't even hear myself think." She said, staring at Ino. "Che. Why Tsunade would even consider sending a bunch of kids into this kind of situation is beyond me."

"Give us a little credit." Chōji said around a mouth full of chips.

"Ah, Ino saved your life just a few hours ago." Shikamaru said.

"Oh? You want credit? Hm?" Shoko said, walking up to Chōji and straightening her poster even more. Asuma snorted and Kakashi focused on Chapter 24 to keep from being as foolish as Asuma. Shoko always pulled stunts like that; straightening her poster, standing on tables or chairs in attempts at making herself seem more intimidating. She reminded Kakashi of a toad puffing itself up. "I will give it where it's disserved. From what I witnessed last time." She said whipping her head to Asuma and he tried to cover his smile with a puff of his cigarette. "I think all credit goes to myself for saving your asses." She told him and then backed away from Chōji.

"We weren't ready last time." Shikamaru said.

"And you are this time eh? I hope so, because this isn't some escort mission. Akatsuki will eat you alive…maybe even literally in Kakuzu's case…if you aren't prepared to focus. Last time, focus was difficult for some but this time we've had stint to adjust. No jumping in unprepared, no disobeying orders, no heartbreaking attempts at being a hero and NO TALKING WHILE IM FUCKING TALKING." She finished, staring at Ino who was whispering something to Fujiki. She jerked upright and straightened looking straight ahead like the soldier Shoko wanted her to be.

"Hai." The group said in unison.

"Fine…go, move out…or whatever." She said with a sigh.

The group vanished, leaving Shoko and Asuma.

"I know this is your entire fault." She said. She was referring to the fact that she now had unwanted company.

"We do what we have to do." He said flicking his lighter absently.

"We'll unless you're sorry I don't wanna talk."

"I'm not sorry. This isn't about the mission."

"Well then I definitely don't want to talk." She said, turning to leave. He grabbed her arm and she scowled down at his hand.

"Do you really want to act like I didn't hear what was said?"

"No, I just thought it would be better for you. What did you have in mind? Did you want me to repeat it for you? I like male company, Asuma. I needed a distraction and I just happened to favor you over Genma, is all. Kakashi's right. It's probably because the unobtainable is always-

"Alright. I take it back. Let's just not talk about it."

She reached over and tapped his shoulder and they appeared on a branch in the forest, the rest of the team landing in thuds around them.

"Yosh, come on." Shoko said.

Sometime during the few hours of travel Shoko came to a conclusion.

"Shikamaru," She called. He sped up to the front of the group from his flanking position in the rear. "I'm naming you team captain."

"Nani?" He asked. "I-why?"

"Because, I can." She snapped. She glanced sideways at him. "And because I thought about what your dad said to me yesterday. I need to give you a chance." She raised her voice a little so Ino and Chōji, whom she knew to already be listening, could hear her. "Now's your chance to prove yourselves."

All three smiled at that and moved back into position.

Evening fell , the group came to a halt. They agreed to rest the night and discuss their plan.

"Alright Shikamaru, let's hear your plan." Shoko said, leaning against a tree with her arms and legs cross, her hat tipped to block the descending sun.

"Ah." He said, and explained various situations and strategies. He baffled them all with his amazing abilities to be able to create such intricate and equitable strategies after only a short time.

He handed Kakashi a vial. "Kakashi-sensei, use this when you see an opening." He said.

"I've gotta hand it to you, you've learned a great deal about the enemy having only encountered them once." Kakashi commented, pocketing the vial.

"That's my student." Asuma said. He smirked and blew out a puff of smoke, never once opening his eyes. If he had, he may have seen Shoko sneering at him from her spot in the shade.

"There's still a lot we don't know about the other one, unfortunately." Shikamaru said.

"Ano…" Fujiki raised a paw. Shikamaru turned to him. "Shoko knows plenty about the other one. Why not ask her."

"You know just as much as I do, Fu." Shoko called.

He sighed, "She's fought him twice before. Once when he we sent to assassinate the First and once when he tried to hunt her down for the bounty on her head."

"Is that true? Why didn't you say something before?" Shikamaru asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

"Because no one asked. I was planning on killing him myself and collecting his bounty. Wouldn't that be a magnificent end for such a shinobi?" She laughed.

"What are his abilities?" Kakashi asked.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru grumbled.

Shoko sighed and sat up, legs crossed in the lotus position.

"I'll tell you all I know of Kakuzu. Some might be true, some not, since most of it is what I've heard in passing. He was a shinobi of Waterfall, looong ago." She started her tale out as if beginning a story time for children. Shikamaru rolled his eyes but she took no notice. "He was sent on a mission, to assassinate Senju Hashirama. Unfortunately for him, Senju Hashirama was the Hokage of the Leaf. He was protected day and night by the _Yogo-Sha_." She said 'Yogo-Sha' as if fully expecting "Oh's' and 'Ahs' then lay back, enjoying the glares she was getting. "He ultimately failed in his attempts and returned to his village only to be punished for his failure. Waterfall, in its earlier days, was a brutal village. He was imprisoned. Something brutal villages tend to do." She lifted her hat and shot them a look as if trying to get a point across. Kakashi sighed. "Eventually he escaped, vowing never to return to that cursed village. Hm, smart guy. Anyway in his escape, Kakuzu killed the village's elders and took off with some of their most prized forbidden jutsu. Over the years he made a living as a bounty hunter, snatching still beating hearts out of powerful shinobi to extend his lifespan somehow. Before I was imprisoned, he made an attempt at my own life. Out of spite for having been one of the ones to ultimately put him in his predicament, for my heart, for my bounty, because he's just plain mean, who knows? What I do know is that each time I've fought him; he's only ever been stronger than the last. He can die…of course, immortal can all die. You just have to kill him several times, I suppose. He has more than one extremely powerful elemental demon whom he can summon as well. The first time I fought him, he had two. The second, he had three. He may have more. I don't know much nor do I understand anything about the man."

"So he has more than one heart?" Shikamaru asked.

"I guess." She shrugged.

Shikamaru sighed again, "So you don't know…"

"How would I know Shikamaru? I never looked inside of his body. Perhaps if you can kill him for me I can dissect him and tell you." She said, smirking when Ino gagged.

Shikamaru sighed again. "That doesn't give us much to go on but it's helpful. We'll stick to the strategies I've already gone over, since we can only benefit from them. Once you've memorized our simulations, go over each one, at least three times in your head." He told them. "Our probability of success depends on whether or not you commit them to memory."

Chōji grunted in agreement.

"Okay." Ino said, determined.

"Let's set up camp for the night. We'll head out in the morning." Kakashi said.

They stood up to each fulfill their respective duties.

That night Shoko sat beside the fire. She had taken first watch, to be followed by Asuma and then Kakashi. They had agreed on letting the younger group sleep through the night.

She thought about the outcome of this mission; of the contentment she hoped to fill within her for the justice she was about to seek.

Well…it was more like revenge but knocking off two Akatsuki could only benefit them more in the end.

She thought of Chiriku. How she had missed so very much. He would never know just how much she thought about him and how much it hurt her having left him without so much as a farewell.

Perhaps he had heard of her charges. Of course he had, who hadn't? She hoped he hadn't died hating her. She hoped he hadn't believed the ugly stories.

A single tear slipped down her cheek, yet her face remained blank. She didn't bother wiping away the evidence of that weak moment; she believed everyone to be asleep.

Asuma watched Shoko from his bed roll a few feet away. He hadn't planned on sleeping. Middle sentry duty was the worst if you went to sleep only to wake up and then try to sleep again so he chose to star gaze. Instead he found his gaze switching over to Shoko when he heard a quiet sniff.

A single tear sparkled in the light of the fire and splashed on the dead leaves at her feet.

"You're crying." He said quietly.

She started slightly and unconsciously wiped at the traitorous streak of salt water under her eye. She didn't answer though.

"You're crying. Why?" He said again.

She scowled over at him. Must he point it out? Must he continue prodding her about the damn thing? She couldn't summon the mental energy to be angry though.

"Did he ever say anything about me? Perhaps mention whether or not he held ill feelings about my situation..." She whispered.

Asuma sat up. "Chiriku talked about you all the time, Sho. But never once did he display anything less than admiration for you." She released a long breath and smiled slightly. That was a load off her back.

Asuma got up and sat beside her.

"I'm glad you two became close. You must have made _some_ team." She said.

"Ah, we balanced each other out." Asuma recalled. She grinned, knowing what he meant. Chiriku was the complete opposite of Asuma. He was kind whereas Asuma was a snotty brat. He was calm whereas Asuma often lost his cool in his younger years. But one thing was certain; they stood for the same cause. And Shoko was proud of them both.

She glanced sideways at Asuma. He was staring into the fire in deep thought. The man, she couldn't stop pointing out to herself, certainly was beautiful. Ever since that look on his face when she was about to be 'sacrificed', Shoko had been burdened with thoughts, questions, what ifs. She knew now though, what she wanted. She wanted him. She knew it was wrong. He was taken and happy but she couldn't help herself. She wanted him like a bad habit. She hadn't felt that particular way for anyone. And if she truly thought about it, she had wanted him even before the other day. Perhaps it started when he decided to talk to her again. Maybe even before then. She had known him all of his life. Maybe this feeling had just grown over the years.

"Asuma." She said. "I didn't mean it." He knew she was talking about her earlier explanation of what he had overheard the night at the bar.

"I know." He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

"Well, aren't you going to say something about it?"

"Iie."

She frowned at him and turned back to the fire. Man, it was a cold day in hell when she started letting a male get to her.

"I don't understand what it is you see in me." He said after a while.

"Me either." She said rudely.

"I mean, what makes me a better choice than the other men? You could have any man you want. You know that, I know you do. But you want someone who-

"I know you do." She snapped. She already knew he loved someone else. That much was obvious. She didn't want nor need to hear him say it, himself. "I don't know why, Asuma. I guess ya don't get to pick sometimes. It just turns out that way. It always turns out that way for me. I will _always_ love a man who loves someone else."

Asuma's head snapped up and he looked at her. "Love…"

"A curse." She shrugged. "I know you think I'm evil and cavalier with a high regard for self-preservation but…I'm trying. I'm trying to care more. I just want to be a better person and I _am_ trying." She frowned again. "You may never love me but if anything, don't hate me. Not for the past. Not when I'm aiming to be better than who I was. It's somewhat discouraging to think that one whose opinion I actually care for, holds me at such low regards."

"I don't hate you. I told you, I never hated you." He said, scowling at her. "I respect you. I admire you…"

"But you don't love me." She said, sadly. Asuma didn't answer. He didn't know how. Honestly, he _did_ love her. He always had; since he was just a kid. But he couldn't, he wouldn't let himself love her that way. It was too late for all that. He was with Kurenai now. He loved Kurenai.

She stood and leapt onto the branch behind them. She sat in the crook of it and leaned against the trunk, closing her eyes and hoping for sleep.

Asuma, though, would be up until dawn in deep thought. This thing was bugging him and he needed to figure it out before the confrontation with their enemy. He could afford a night of sleep, hell he was trained for that. He _couldn't_ afford to be distracted again.

* * *

Next Chapter is the second confrontation with Hidan and Kakuzu. Will Zetsu be there? Hm...Will someone else? Who knows!

**R&R Please =)**

Also I want to thank pacchiri cherii for the reviews =P They're greatly appreciated! *bow*


	22. Twenty

**Twenty**

_Confrontation_

Shoko awoke the next morning before sunrise. She had a killer headache; from her sleeping position, some mysterious brain tumor, a belated hangover. She didn't know.

She slid off the tree and landed on her hands and knees, then proceeded to crawl to the fire where Kakashi and Asuma were making what could be called a breakfast.

"What's wrong with you?" Kakashi asked without sparing her a glance. She toppled over and whimpered.

"My head _hurts_." She whined.

"A good lesson for sleeping in trees." Asuma said. She didn't respond, merely laid there, curled into the fetal position and gripping her head for a few more moments.

Finally she stood up walked over to the sleeping four. She scanned over them to look for the more peaceful sleeper. Of course that was Shikamaru. She stumbled over to him and bent down, the corners of her lips twitching into a grin but she held it in.

She knelt down and snatched him by the lapels of his vest and started shaking him, "Shikamaru! Wake up! We're under attack! KAMI there's so many! We're all dead!" She said loudly.

Shikamaru shot up along with the others. They glanced around, wide eyed for a second before all four scowled at the woman rolling on the ground, cackling.

"Apparently if she has to have a headache, so does everyone else." Kakashi sighed, turning back to the fire.

Shikamaru fell back onto his bedroll, mumbling about troublesome women.

"It's morning Shikamaru. Get your troublesome ass up." Shoko said, scooting closer to him so she could poke at his face.

"Let's get this over with." Asuma said.

Shoko, Asuma and Kakashi left the planning up to Shikamaru. Shoko planned to stay quiet the whole time. They were going to have to get used to it and practice was the best way.

"Alright, first we have to pick up their trail." Shikamaru said.

"We can search the path they took from the Fire Temple to the exchange point. I know they had to leave but Kakuzu said they'd be back." Chōji said.

"We have to look for any remaining footprints or scents, right?" Ino commented.

"I doubt we'll find anything quickly though." Shikamaru said. "Alright let's go."

"Hai."

* * *

In a cave far west of the group of Konoha shinobi, stood nine projections atop a stone structure. The former Two Tail jinchūriki lay dead at the base.

"The sealing of the Two Tails is complete." The dark projection of Pein said, opening his ringed eyes. "Only four remain. Dismissed."

Hidan groaned. "Finally!"

"Ah, Time to head to Konoha, Hidan." Kakuzu said.

"Konoha?" Deidara asked. "Kakuzu, Hidan, if you're going to Konoha let me warn you."

"Hm?" Kakuzu said.

"The jinchūriki Uzumaki Naruto lives there. Watch yourselves if you run into him."

"Whoa, whoa! Don't put me in the same boat as you Deidara-chan! I'm not the little pussy who had to get his arm reattached by Kakuzu." Hidan said, smirking and pointing at Deidara.

Kakuzu sent Hidan a sideways look, "Better the arms than the head."

"Hey, fuck you Kakuzu! Who's side are you on?" Hidan yelled.

"If you are going to Konoha, the one you should watch out for is the Jinsoku." Itachi said. He didn't raise his voice or even move but he still managed to shut everyone up. It was rare that Uchiha Itachi spoke and when he did, people listened. Whether out of fear or just plain curiosity at getting a glimpse of what went on in his head.

"Hey Kakuzu. Is he talkin about that little bitch we fought earlier?" Hidan called.

"Ah."

Hidan laughed, "Well in that case, I still aint got nothing to worry about. I almost killed the whore before we came here. If Zetsu hadn't come along, she would have made a nice fuckin sacrifice too."

"Hidan." Pein called. Hidan glanced over at him. "Do not harm her again. You should know by now that unless you have the tools, she can't be killed. Blood loss will not do it. If you confront her again, bring her here."

Itachi remained quiet but he wondered if this was what Pein wanted or what Madara wanted. He glanced over at his ancestor, whose projection remained quiet throughout the conversation. Up until this moment Itachi had a good idea of Madara's plans but now that the Jinsoku was released, he must have made changes.

He knew who Shoko was. When he was a boy she was highly regarded by the senior members of his clan. She even stole him away from his severe training a number of times for more humane activities. When she was thrown into prison, it outraged the entire clan. But his clan had never had any standing with the Elders so there was nothing they could have done.

"Eh? But she said my junk was small! How the fuck am I suppose to _not kill_ her after something like that?"

"Hidan!" Kakuzu growled. Deidara and Kisame snickered.

"Hidan, if you incapacitate her again, I cannot speak to her, and if I cannot speak to her, I will lose my patience." Pein said evenly.

"Don't let the last fight go to your head. She was probably more focused on the priest that you and Kakuzu killed. She's had plenty time to get over it. **That's right.** **If she comes looking for you, don't say we didn't warn you.**" Zetsu's black half chuckled darkly.

"Come on." Kakuzu grumbled before his projection vanished.

"Che." Hidan followed a second later.

"Zetsu." Pein said.

"**Understood.**" Zetsu vanished as well.

"Itachi, I understand the Jinsoku is tied to your heritage. It doesn't bother you that I'd like to speak with her, does it?"

Itachi shifted his eyes to Pein and remained silent for a moment. "No."

"Good. She's an old teacher of mine. I wish to catch up with her. I seem to recall her beliefs being somewhat similar to my own. Perhaps I can sway her."

Itachi said nothing.

So it may not be Madara who really wanted Shoko after all. Did Pein even realize that Madara knew her? He had to. Perhaps he didn't care. Madara might have say here and there but Pein was still Pein. He didn't like taking orders and so he wouldn't. He would only listen and keep himself open to ideas. Madara though, was quite persuasive and extremely manipulative. This organization was a dominion and Madara was on top, only to be flanked by Pein. _He_ ran the order of things here, whether Pein realized it or not.

"What do you think?" Pein prodded. Itachi knew what he was doing. Rarely did Pein care what he thought.

"I think, she would be more trouble than she's worth."

"Let's hope not. After all, I'm aware of her jutsu and the way it works." Pein said. Itachi saw Madara turn slightly at that. Well, well, well. There was trouble in this seemingly flawless partnership after all. "Perhaps knowing that I can destroy her with a snap of my fingers will persuade her. I hear she holds her own life high on her list of priorities." Something about his tone made Itachi realize that what he was saying was directed solely at Madara.

A threat.

Itachi wasn't sure if Madara had a caring bone in his body but he _was_ sure that if he did, then someone threatening the life of his own little sister would spark a light in his eyes. He knew that from experience.

Madara remained silent. He couldn't very well give up his alias over a threatening comment, Itachi supposed.

Pein closed his eyes and his projection vanished, followed by Konan.

Itachi opened his eyes, canceling the jutsu. He had work to do. It could prove beneficial for him if Pein and Madara were at each other's throats. This way he may have a small amount of extra room to move about in his own plans.

* * *

"Well there's no trail left because of the rain." Kakashi said, standing from his inspection of the ground. They had been searching all morning and were still clueless.

"So, what do we do now?" Asuma asked Shikamaru.

Shoko was somewhere, far enough away to still hear the conversation but out of sight, leaning against a tree and gazing at the clouds. Something about Shikamaru and his deduction skills put her at ease. She had assurance in his ability to lead them to where they needed to go. If he wasn't so lazily and complained so damn much she might actually say he had an old soul, similar to Chiriku.

"Any plans we come up with are pointless if we can't find the enemy." Shikamaru said.

"Come to think of it…" Chōji said, thinking back on when Team Raidō showed up and Kakuzu had told them to be ready, because they would be back. "They did say they would be back…but, they wouldn't return to the same spot."

"There should be two teams guarding the exchange point now. They were sent back out yesterday." Ino said.

"It wouldn't be a problem if we were only dealing with the loud one, but he's with that other guy." Shikamaru crossed his arms, sighed and glanced at the sky. "Even if they take a different route, their destination and main target is still the same; Naruto. They're heading for Konoha."

"That narrows the area we need to search." Kakashi said. "How do you propose we find them?"

Shikamaru glanced around, and then something caught his eye. "We'll use that."

Ino glanced up at the hawk and smiled. "Got it."

A few minutes later Ino, started out of her meditative state.

"Ino, are you alright?" Chōji asked quickly. This caught Shoko's attention and she glanced over at the girl. She started to walk over to her but Asuma shot her a look. Shoko halted and crossed her arms, facing the other way. She said she would let them do it themselves but when someone got hurt, things changed. Why was it that Kakashi could speak but Shoko couldn't? She pouted at the horizon.

Ino was rubbing her neck and breathing quickly. Did they spot her? How the hell would they know unless she made the bird land on Kakuzu's shoulder and talk to him? It was a bird for Kami sake, how suspicious could it be?

"That was close." Ino said.

"Did they notice?" Shikamaru asked.

"No, I think we're fine. They're definitely taking a different route to Konoha." She said. "Both of them are at ten o'clock, two miles from here."

Shoko laughed, "I can't wait to see Kakuzu pee his pants when he sees the Copy ninja is with us. His head will be so plagued with numbers he probably won't even be able to put up much of a fight."

"Just…stick to the plan." Shikamaru said.

She flashed him an innocent smile, "Ah." And she would stick to it. She had been on enough missions in her life to know you never ever step out of line unless a life was in danger. You always follow the plan because one unstable domino could set off many.

"Yosh, let's go." Kakashi said.

* * *

Shoko stretched her senses when they got close enough and raised a hand to halt them. She looked back at the team leader and pointed to her eyes then to the west. She could see them. Shikamaru nodded and turned to the rest of the group to let them know to get in position.

Shoko teleported ahead of the two Akatsuki, careful to conceal her chakra as much as possible. She pressed her back against a tree, closed her eyes and waited.

"Hidan…" Kakuzu whispered, sensing the shadow behind them.

"I know." He said. The shadow split in two and both Akatsuki leapt aside only to notice kunai were thrown in their directions.

"Explosive tags…" Kakuzu said. Both tags blew and the two Akatsuki were engulfed in smoke.

Hidan leapt out of the cloud, his three bladed scythe and pike broken apart by the blast and landing to the side. "Kakuzu!" He yelled.

"I hardened my arm. I didn't get hurt." Kakuzu said. "More importantly, watch out for that shadow."

Hidan looked over at the persistent shadow. "Heh, like I'll fall for the same thing again."

Something caught Kakuzu's attention, "Hidan, above you." He warned.

Hidan glanced up at Shikamaru just as he toss two more tagged weapons toward them.

"More explosive tags." Kakuzu said. "Hidan, dodge."

They both sidestepped and threw their arms up defensively. A moment passed and after nothing happened; they glanced down at the kunai stuck in the ground beside them. Too late, did they realize, the tags weren't explosive.

Kakuzu, frozen in position glanced over at his partner. "He got us." He growled. They looked over at Shikamaru who stood atop a leaning tree smirking at them. He leapt off and landed between the two Akatsuki. Shoko inwardly applauded him. This was something to be proud of.

"Heh, Kage Mane Shuriken no Jutsu, successful." He said.

"Bastard," Hidan growled. "Your shadow never touched us. How'd you-

"Those two blades are chakra enhanced. You probably recognize them." Shikamaru said, fully aware that if they did recognize the blades then they would know Asuma was there as well. They were his blades, but he had needed them for these tags. "They're made from a special medal that allows them to absorb their wielder's elemental chakra."

"Kakuzu, what the hell's this dick talkin about?" Hidan asked.

"Idiot. Shut up, Hidan." Kakuzu said, annoyed.

Shikamaru continued, "Using the chakra they absorb, their wielder can use them as a base for his techniques. But all you need to know is I'm using my Kage Mane Jutsu through the blades. Now it's time to end this" Shikamaru said, straightening.

"Why the hell are you being so quiet?" Hidan asked Kakuzu, irritated that he seemed to be the only one worried about their predicament. "You had to go and get yourself caught too, didn't you? Oh man, oh man. We're screwed aren't we?"

Shikamaru arched a brow at him, "Oh you're screwed. According to my plan, the second I captured you, it was over." He clasped his hands in the 'Ne' sign for his clan's jutsu and his shadow crept over to Hidan.

"You little bitch…" Hidan said quietly. Shikamaru used his shadow to hold Hidan and to snatch Asuma's blade from the ground, no longer needing it for Hidan. "Damn it, what are you gonna do now?" Hidan asked.

"Heh, I'm _not_ gonna make the same mistake twice in a row." Shikamaru smirked but it quickly vanished and was replaced by a serious expression. "You two are about to be cornered!" His mind went back to the moment they had attacked Hidan while he stood outside the exchange point. 'You guys fucked up the order.' He'd taunted. "I'll make sure to target the right guy first this time."

"Yes." Shoko cheered from her spot. That little son of a bitch was going to do it. He was going to off two Akatsuki without breaking a sweat. She was slightly jealous.

Shikamaru began taking slow steps back. Having grabbed Hidan with his shadow, the Jashinist had no choice but to mimic Shikamaru's movements.

"Shit." Hidan said. He was closing in on his scythe that lay wedged in the ground behind him. Once there, Shikamaru let go of the sign and pretended to reach down and pick up the handle of the scythe. Hidan grabbed his weapon. "I've got your face memorized." He said, glaring at Shikamaru. "I'm gonna destroy you if it's the last thing I do!"

Shikamaru swung his imaginary blade to the side and started to run. Hidan did the same, causing him to run straight at his still frozen partner.

"Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, are you?" Shikamaru said with a short laugh.

Just as Hidan reached Kakuzu, Shikamaru leapt up and arched his imaginary scythe. Hidan followed suit.

"Kakuzu! Duck!" He yelled, swinging the huge blade straight down, with no intention of cutting off Kakuzu's head but no way to stop himself.

Just as the blade came down and swept across, Kakuzu did just that. He ducked. A sliver of the back of his Akatsuki cloak having been the only thing lost. His detached hand had shot up from the ground a fraction of a second before, grabbing Asuma's blade and removing it, canceling the Mimic Jutsu and giving him back his movement.

Shikamaru looked on in shock.

"Nice!" Hidan said, landing beside Kakuzu.

"No." Shoko said, holding herself back from running into the fight. She had to stick to the plan. She hadn't known his arms had free reign after being detached. It never happened with Ran, the Nara who had been the first Kashikoi. Then again Kakuzu hadn't been immortal back then either. She held her ground.

"You said we were finished, but you still had no idea what I was capable of. So you kept your distance and came up with a new strategy." Kakuzu said. "You actually think, unlike my partner." He reattached his arm. "But even if you analyze every aspect of a battle, things don't always go according to plan."

"Tch." Shikamaru watched him from his position, waiting for his attack.

Hidan laughed at Shikamaru but then seemed to think of something and frowned over at his partner. "Kakuzu! What the fuck was that, 'unlike my partner' bullshit?"

Kakuzu looked at him, "Exactly what it sounded like, moron."

Shikamaru charged again suddenly, causing Hidan to charge Kakuzu, swinging his scythe like a mad man.

"Damn it! My body-!" Hidan yelled, chasing after Kakuzu. "Kakuzu, do something!"

"You're forcing me back!" Kakuzu growled before backing into a huge tree. "Shit."

Chōji leapt from the branch of the tree, his hands forming signs before he transformed into a large spiked ball that no one would want to be in the way of, immortal or not.

"Nikudan Harisensha!" Chōji yelled.

Kakuzu made a sign before the huge ball that was Chōji crashed down on him.

"Kakuzu!" Hidan yelled. A cloud of dust and dirt engulfed the three ninja.

Chōji jumped out and landed beside Shikamaru, both stared into the cloud of dirt. Kakuzu appeared unharmed despite the collision. His pigmentation turning from the dark grey of stone back to its original shade. His left arm detached again and flew at Shikamaru, gripping his neck and pulling him off the ground. His other arm detached and flew past the two ninja to snatch Asuma's other chakra blade from the ground. It threw the blade straight at the back of Shikamaru's head so Shoko chose this time to jump in.

Might as well, the plan was shot anyway.

She appeared in the air behind Shikamaru and caught the blade easily, charging it with lightning.

Shoko had forgotten to mention Kakuzu's affinity. He'd had the elemental demons so, like the fool she was, she didn't even think about his main ability. His affinity for earth. But earth was weak against lightning. Having Kakashi there was about as good as their probability of winning could get. Both, she and he were lightning users.

She spun around midair to chuck the electrified blade at Kakuzu's own head. The hand that had tossed it though, caught up and knocked Shoko out of the way just as the blade left her grasp. The blade flew at Kakuzu's face. Shoko flew as well, through a tree and crashed into the one behind it. Kakuzu had released Shikamaru with his other hand to knock the trench blade away from his face.

"Sho!"

"Shoko!" Shikamaru and Chōji yelled.

Shoko slid down the tree with a string of curses and collapsed to the ground, remaining there for a moment to assess how many bones were just crushed. Asuma appeared beside her, they already knew he was there. No ninja left their blades to someone else unless he was dead. He had only given up his position.

"I'm fine." She grunted, pulling his arm to give her leverage while she tried to stand up. "It's not every day you get knocked through a tree but it fuckin hurts when it happens."

"What's going on?" Chōji asked Shikamaru, scowling at Kakuzu.

"It's just like Raidō-senpai described." Shikamaru started, rubbing his neck. "It's gotta be a body solidifying-technique." He muttered.

Shoko racked her brain to see if she forgot anything else. Living for so long…without some special ability to catalog memories, sometimes she found herself remembering stuff a little too late. Like this time.

"That's his ability." Shikamaru said.

"Another good analysis." Kakuzu praised. "You're right, no physical attack can harm me."

"Oh yes it can." Shoko whispered, eyes narrowed.

Asuma had seen him knock the charged blade away. If what Kakuzu had said were completely true then he wouldn't have bothered intercepting it. Kakashi noticed this as well.

"Shikamaru…" Chōji said quietly. The panic was beginning to set in.

Hidan started to laugh manically, "Cower in fear, atheists! Yeah, now it's _our_ turn. Kakuzu, break this technique already!"

"Ah." Kakuzu said but his eyes widened and he gasped just as Kakashi's Raikiri made its way through his back and out his chest.

Hidan straighten as much as possible considering he was still stuck in the shadow possession jutsu because just then Shoko and Asuma appeared on either side of him, blades to every major artery in his body. Shoko grinned and blew him an airy kiss.

Asuma and Hidan both growled at her. She turned to look at Kakashi who was talking to Kakuzu.

"How could you see those signs? It only took a second. Wait…I see now." Kakuzu said. "Copy ninja…"

"Earth element is weak against lightning. I knew what your element was the moment I saw you harden your arm. I wasn't sure it would work but when you let go of Shikamaru to knock away that lightning charged blade, it only confirmed it. You got matched with the wrong guy." Kakashi said. He pulled his arm from Kakuzu's back and let him fall face first into the ground then turned and walked towards Hidan. "You're next."

"Stop!" Shoko yelled. Didn't she say Kakuzu was immortal? It was too late though, because Kakuzu appeared out of nowhere and kicked Kakashi in the stomach, sending him back into the tree behind them.

Shoko gripped her tekko kagi and straightened. Kakuzu shifted his gaze to her.

He grabbed his cloak and ripped it off, revealing the four masks on his back. This was it, the demons. Last time she saw him he'd had three and before that, two. The first time they hadn't been…inside him like that but she supposed now he could do anything since dying wasn't a concern.

Shikamaru's shadow possession released and Hidan began laughing despite his situation. "Watch me Jashin-sama. I'm gonna go bat shit insane on em all!" He cackled.

One of the demons began to choke and fell to the ground before melting into the soil at Hidan's feet.

"Ew." Shoko looked at it withering into the dirt with a disgusted look on her face. "Well, that's one down. This might be easier than I thought."

"Eh? Kakuzu! Whoa whoa whoa! One of em died right after you let it out! God, could you suck anymore?" He yelled.

Kakashi took note of this. Its mask was broken. It must have been the one he hit.

"Hidan, sit this one out." Kakuzu said. Shoko growled and shifted her foot. The cocky son of a bitch. There were five against one, so long as Ino and Fujiki stayed put, unless needed. How were those good odds? Hell, she could take him on by herself now that she was top shape and focused.

"What? No way, I'm getting really pissed that they keep trickin me! And this guy was supposed to be my sacrifice!" Hidan said pointing at Asuma who looked unconcerned with the whole thing.

Shoko had to choose who to fight. She couldn't very well go back and forth. She needed to focus on one so she choose Hidan. Kakashi could handle Kakuzu with his lightning. The demons would be the real trouble. It seemed no matter what, Shoko wouldn't be able to have a primary target.

She wished she could call a storm and blow them both to hell but that could mean losing her mind too. Her mind was definitely something she needed to keep.

Kakuzu sent a detached hand flying toward Kakashi who leapt back several times only to find that one of the masked demons had followed behind. It was too late, once again and Kakashi was hit with a deadly blast of wind from its mouth.

"Kakashi…" Shoko narrowed her eyes, making up her mind right then. _This_ was a free for all. Plans spoiled, people getting hurt, confusion. The best kind of fight for someone who needed to let lose. She could and _would_ go crazy on whoever and whatever she could get to first, which unfortunately for Hidan, was him.

Suddenly she dropped low and kicked her leg straight up at Hidan's face. He blocked with the handle of his scythe just as both Asuma and Shoko slid back to get distance and figure a strategy.

Shoko felt the static behind her and vanished as an eruption of electricity let loose from one of the mask's mouths and straight at Shikamaru, Chōji and now Ino.

Kakashi jumped in front of the two boys and held the blast off with his own lightning. She appeared beside him and grabbed his arm, sending her lightning chakra through his hands to hold the blast at bay. It was better this way. To concentrate both chakras on one solid area rather than two. That and Kakashi's hands were clearly burning up. She needed to get the foreign electricity away.

Asuma stayed on Hidan so Shoko lost track of him for the moment. As soon as the blast let up Kakashi swayed but she supported his weight until he righted himself.

She vanished again, knowing full well that she would end up tiring herself out if she kept using that ability carelessly.

She appeared in front of the lightning demon and spun in the air to scissor kick him where the mask was. She had seen which demon died before and had come to the conclusion that if the mask was broken then maybe the demon would perish.

She was fast but the demon had already worked up a deep breath and before she knew it she was hit with another blast of electricity. She was the only one in the line of fire so she sent her own current through her body and letting it manifest around herself, rendering the demons lightning ineffective. The blue electricity vanished and Shoko stood her ground.

Asuma landed beside her and she glanced around for Hidan who was nowhere in sight.

"Earth, wind and now lightning. This guy…" Asuma growled.

"Wow." Hidan said, coming out of nowhere and landing beside Kakuzu. "I can't believe you two survived those blasts."

"His sharingan saved him and she has an affinity for lightning, she must have converted the demons before it hit her. Not that it would kill her anyway. Remember what _he_ said, Hidan." Kakuzu said, making a hand sign. All of the Konoha-nin froze and watched as the demon beside him puffed up and opened his mouth. "Katon: Zukokku."

"Katon?" Shoko yelled as the fire exploded from its mouth and sped at them. She had no idea where Fujiki was but if she knew him, he was probably already out of reach of it. She appeared in the middle of her team and stepped her left foot onto Asuma's, slid her right to graze Kakashi's while she leaned over and grabbed Chōji 's shirt and Ino with her right hand and with no time left, blindly threw her left toward Shikamaru then vanished.

She immediately figured out that she couldn't teleport this many people long distances but managed to get them as far out of the blast as she could which wasn't far enough to not be knocked over by the mere pressure of it. Fortunately, they appeared on the ground and not under or above.

Shoko whipped around to make sure she got Shikamaru as well, which she did, and breathed a sigh of relief.

We'll that was it for her teleporting, unless it was dire. She grabbed her shaky knees and doubled over, breathing hard. "Whew…let's watch out for that one." She coughed a laugh.

Hidan flew out of the dust cloud and swept his scythe at Kakashi who leapt back and held it off with a kunai. Shoko took off into the cloud and leapt in the air, her foot charged with electricity, she erupted from the cloud and swung her leg at Kakuzu's face, hitting him dead on.

Shikamaru followed close behind and dropped to sweep kick at his feet as Kakuzu's head snapped back and he stumbled. He righted himself and leapt away, a demon taking his place. Thankfully it wasn't fire.

Wind, it turned out, was just as bad.


	23. Twenty One

**Twenty One**

_Reinforcements and Complications_

"Shit!" Shikamaru yelled. They dodged the bullets of wind but failed to see the second masked demon moving in from the side.

"East!" Kakashi yelled from somewhere. The two turned to look in the direction of east and spotted the demon. It sucked in air. Shoko couldn't let herself teleport if there was any other way out. They were at least 30 meters up, having run up a dead tree while dodging the wind demon's attacks.

"Jump!" Shikamaru yelled from the branch across from her. They did just as a blast of fire shot at them, missing them both by inches. Like a cat, she frantically grabbed at branches; seconds away from teleporting them both to safety when Shikamaru did something that would have made her smile, had she not been falling to a very painful injury. He tossed five tagged kunai, blowing the ground below them and effectively softening their landing.

They landed safely and took off.

"Yes!" She cheered. "A true Nara." He shot her a quick smirk.

She ran a few strategies through her head while she could. She had to focus on someone. If she could do that-

"Let's separate them." Shoko said to him.

"Ah." Shikamaru said.

"Grab the idiot with your shadow since you've got the vial. Asuma should go with you. Kakashi and I will stay on Kakuzu since his body's weak against our techniques. Chōji and Ino should stay here in case we need help with Kakuzu's demons but far enough away that we can keep them from getting attacked before we need them."

"Got it." They leapt in opposite directions, Shoko back towards Kakuzu and Shikamaru to Kakashi, Asuma and the rest of the group to tell them the plan.

She landed in the clearing where she had last seen Kakuzu and looked around. He was out of sight but Shoko found herself surrounded by the three elemental demons. There was no way Kakashi would be anywhere near yet. Without backup, in a situation like this…

"_Futon: Fujin!" _Her eyes flashed black for only a second and a sharp, static electrified wind blasted from her in every direction. The explosion tore up the remaining forest several meters in every direction. She had put a lot into that Fujin, unlike with the Root. These things were immensely stronger and if she had to use something like that she wanted to try and make the most of it.

She stood her ground, not moving an inch as she scanned the area within her vision.

"Uh!" She went to leap away but it was too late. Kakuzu's hand shot out from the ground and grabbed her ankle. Without thinking she vanished and appeared a distance away. Had she a moment to gather herself she might have felt the terrible pain in her head from that teleportation. She wasn't able to though, because Kakuzu appeared in front of her and kicked her in the face. She flew back and slid across the ground, clutching her nose and the side of her face. "No…you kicked me in my face. _Dirt_ got in my eye! You-!" She glared at him, one hand covering her blue eye. But something beyond him caught her attention and she immediately began to laugh. "That's too bad. These things really aren't that hard to kill after all." She said still watching the fire demon, who spilt from the wind demon, writhing on the ground behind him.

"How many times can you use that attack?" Kakuzu taunted calmly, knowing full well it was a strong one and something she couldn't or rather wouldn't do again.

"You're underestimating me…that's not all I got, bastard. Even if I had nothing else…I would use it again…and again! I would do what I had to. Akatsuki! I won't lose to them."

She vanished and reappeared directly in front of him, reached out and touched his arm. They appeared in the air. So far up, in fact that the ground was obscured by a thin layer of clouds.

"Shit." Kakuzu yelled.

"Heh." She flipped behind him and unraveled her bandages from her arm, wrapping them around Kakuzu and restraining any movements then maneuvered them facing head first toward the earth. They spiraled, building momentum the closer they got.

"This won't kill me." Kakuzu growled.

She narrowed her eyes and charged them both full of electricity so that even when he used his solidifying technique, he couldn't possibly come out of this unharmed.

She kept her eyes to the ground below. She had to time this just right or she could leave too soon and her chakra would vanish from him or she could leave too late and crash as well.

The ground came fast and just before they hit Shoko vanished. He collided with the earth and a cloud erupted around them. Kakashi landed beside her and glanced at her.

"Copy-cat." He said.

"Che…It ain't copyin if I did it better." She said but then gasped and grabbed her head. All of a sudden it felt as though it might explode. She literally was afraid it would.

"Sho…" Kakashi called. Just then Kakuzu's threads, millions, emerged from the crater he had caused from his impact. They watched as it weaved itself into a beat up version of Kakuzu. Threads still hung from his arms and mouth and every crack in his body.

"Shimatta." Shoko gasped again. She was trained to fight through pain, adrenaline making it that much easier but this? This was the headache of the century.

"I watched you. You use that convenient ability so carelessly. The stunt you just pulled damaged you more than it did me." Kakuzu said around the threads protruding from his mouth. She collapsed to her knees just as Kakuzu attacked Kakashi.

Kakashi held him off, glancing behind him every few seconds for the elemental demons. Two were still on the ground a distance away, but he didn't see the fire demon.

Ino started to go to Shoko. "Ino, stay there." Shoko said. She stood and glanced back at them. "It's alright, I've already healed enough." Ino stopped and reluctantly backed away.

Shoko glanced around, Kakashi was fighting Kakuzu so she was about to aid him when the two remaining demons landed on either side of her. She ducked her head and kept her vision straight ahead so they were in her peripheral. Her eyes narrowed.

She briefly wondered where Fujiki was. His wind techniques would be a big help right now but he was nowhere in sight.

The wind demon took a breath and she charged lightning into her tekko kagi as well as her feet then waited.

It fired and she agilely dodged. She used the very next moment to attack. It still had to at least take a breath and that was all the time she needed. She was on it. It dodged the first kick, the first swipe but the second swipe landed. The mask cracked but remained whole.

Aggravation took over as well as a tad bit of impatience, the mask breathed in and lightning appeared behind her but she still went in for another strike.

Success, the mask broke in half and the wind demon fell to the ground.

The lightning fired but she'd already charged her own body. The blue, crackling explosion dissipated and Shoko stood, unharmed. She glanced over her shoulder at the lightning demon and sneered.

Just as she was about to attack the demon vanished, appearing a distance away beside a fallen Kakuzu. Kakashi, Chōji and Ino stood close by.

Kakashi watched as Kakuzu absorbed the lightning demon then rose.

Shoko made a seal and her staff appeared in the air in front of her. She caught it and quickly started towards the persistent Akatsuki.

She leapt into the air and grasped the end of her staff, pulling it away to reveal a long katana. Just as she closed in on Kakuzu she swiped at his neck. He dodged but she was on him.

While they fought Naruto, Yamato, Sai and Sakura appeared beside the group.

"Oh thank Kami, reinforcements. We're saved." Chōji said with a sigh.

Kakashi sighed in relief.

"I've never seen you so beat senpai." Yamato said, giving Kakashi a sideway glance.

"Ah, our opponent is powerful." Kakashi said but just as he finished the last word the group sucked in a breath, expecting this last move of Shoko's to be the end of their enemy.

Shoko swung her katana at Kakuzu.

Time seemed to stop as her blade stopped short only centimeters from Kakuzu's vulnerable neck. He slid back and glared at Shoko but she paid no attention to him. Her focus was now on the vines that held her tightly against her will.

They trailed up one leg, around her stomach, her left arm and the hilt of her charged katana.

"Sho-bachan." Naruto called.

"Naruto." Shoko said absently while she tried in vain to shift her senses to locate the Akatsuki she knew to use these.

Zetsu appeared to grow out of the ground beside her. She was still trapped in the position she had been in when going in for the kill with Kakuzu because the vines wouldn't let up so she just glanced down at him, a scowl marring her pretty face.

"Zetsu." She said in a half hearted question. "Do you ever fight your own fights? Or do you always just jump in when it's convenient?"

"We observe." Zetsu said with a pointy toothed grin.

"Tch." She stared down at him with her most confident glare but was unnerved when he continued to smile his lopsided grin. She huffed. "What are ya gonna do, hm? You can't hurt m-

She never got to finish that sentence because in that moment she was yanked underground and dragged through the earth.

It seemed only a second that she was beneath the surface before she came to her senses and teleported away. It was one thing being trapped with vines; it was a completely different situation being dragged away from her team.

She glanced around, seeing nothing resembling the battle ground she was once in.

How?

How had he gotten her so far away from the others in only seconds without using teleportation jutsu?

"Jinsoku." She whipped around and lowered her head, glaring at Zetsu.

"Where did you take me and what makes you think I'll stay?"

"You're still in Fire **and we know you'll stay because you have no choice. You can't teleport back to your friends.** You can't escape."

"What do you want? Who is Leader-sama? What are you doing with the tailed beasts?" She spouted.

"We want nothing. **He is obviously our leader and whatever you have to ask**, hold it until you speak with him."

"I don't want to speak with him unless it's 'any last words?' or something final like that. I've no desire for a friendly chat."

"**You may change your mind when you meet him**."

"Hn."

"If that doesn't suffice, you should at least save your annoying tanuki companion."

Shoko jerked her head to him in shock. What?

"What do you mean? Where's Fujiki?" She didn't wait for an answer. She did the signs, biting her thumb and hitting the ground at her feet. Nothing happened. She stared at the vacant spot that should have been where Fujiki would be standing and scowling at her by now. He wasn't though. She swallowed and started to breath hard. Why couldn't he come to her? He was a summon.

She took a moment to settle her breathing before looking back at Zetsu, who was still staring at her with no definable emotion present on his dual toned face.

"Where is he…take me to him." She said.


	24. Twenty Two

**Twenty Two**

_Ame_

"So-?" She was yanked underground again by more vines but before she knew it she was shoved to the surface, a string of curses escaping her mouth. Zetsu was nowhere to be seen.

She scoped out her new surroundings. It was raining and dreary, there were few trees and not far off there was a town or village full of tall concrete and stone buildings.

"Fucking weird." She scowled and started trudging to the village, trying to gather herself as much as possible. She couldn't lose it, not with Fujiki in trouble.

Why hadn't he just dismissed himself? He didn't have to stick around as a captive. Even if he hadn't dismissed himself, he should have, in the very least, been able to appear before her when she summoned him.

She strode into the village, fully aware that she was attracting attention with her grungy, dirty appearance. She had long lost her robe and hat and was clad in her dirt and blood stained top and pants, some tattered bandages and her old trusty clogs. Her hair, a mess of now muddy locks hanging limply down her back. She was the epitome of a savage enemy disguised dirty beggar.

She narrowed her eyes, in no mood to be criticized. She grabbed a man by his arm.

"Where am I?" She asked.

He stared, wide eyed at the wild woman before she raised her brows, prompting an answer.

"Amegakure…" He said. She let him go and he scurried away to whisper to the vendors and stare along with the majority of the civilians who happened to be around her.

A hidden village…

She tilted her head to glance back at the walls above the entrance. There were Rain-nin guarding the walls but they seemed to be making a point of ignoring her. This was odd considering Ame was well known as an almost impenetrable village. Supposedly you had to go through several check points to get in yet here she was. The guards, few.

She was half expecting Hanzō to attack and kill her any second. Where was he? Were Akatsuki working with him? Was that why she was allowed to just waltz into the village?

She tried to stretch her senses to find Fujiki but she couldn't sense him. Frustrated and exhausted, she scowled again and took off toward the center of the village. She would find it and stand there, stretch her senses as far as she could handle and find her companion. Then she would confront whoever took him.

She reached the center of the village and leapt up the side of a tall concrete building. Reaching the top she balanced gracefully in the small foothold, large enough for only one foot. She looked around and the small yet extremely industrialized village.

She was now thoroughly soaked and miserable which made it that much harder to concentrate but she closed her eyes, the cold wet breeze blowing her long auburn hair. She stretched her senses but started when she found she didn't have to extend them very far.

Her eyes snapped open and she gazed at the huge statuesque building directly across from her. There, perched in the mouth of the structure was a man, his black and red cloak bellowing in the wind.

"Akatsuki." She whispered as they stared each other down.

He was close enough to tell that he belonged to that retched organization and after feeling his menacing signature, as concealed as it was, she could tell he was important or in the very least formidable.

She smirked at him, ignoring the nervous and somewhat hopeless clench in her gut, telling her she may just die today.

After leaping down from the tall building, Shoko crossed the cobble stone road and stopped in front of the building she had seen the Akatsuki in. She breathed deeply a few times to calm her heart beat.

No one came to the door and just as Shoko was about to walk in she felt a presence behind her. She turned her head slightly to glance sideways at the presence. The first thing she noticed was the infamous Akatsuki cloak, and then she realized this was a woman. She turned fully to the woman and immediately recognized her. She hadn't changed at all.

"…Konan." Shoko said in slight surprise. Well she hadn't expected this. She absently mindedly glanced around for the other two. They had always been each other's shadows. Neither boy had even left Konan alone for a moment.

"They aren't around, Sensei." Konan said emotionlessly.

"I had heard you were dead. I never imagined you would be Akatsuki. Didn't you strive for peace?"

"That is what Akatsuki strives for." Konan said. "I assume you're here for your companion. He's been quite the company."

"Yes well, I'm just glad I can get him off your hands." She said sarcastically, still staring warily at Konan.

"Follow me; there is also someone who wants to speak with you." She said, brushing past Shoko and into the building. They took a set of stairs that lead to the top.

"Your leader…yes? Pein?"

Konan's step faltered before she continued without looking back. "Ah, though the members only call him 'Leader'."

They reached the top step and Konan opened the metal door which revealed a long dark hallway.

Although Shoko detested the mere thought of following behind people, she wordlessly tailed her former student down the hallway and to a large door. She took a few more deep breaths to slow her traitorous heart and walked through the door into a large dark room with a massive opening in it. She assumed this was the mouth of the structure. There was a desk in the middle of the large room and Konan walked to stand beside it. Shoko stayed put close to the door. She probably had absolutely no chance of escape through it but having it close made her feel safer nevertheless.

Fujiki was nowhere to be seen but the man she had just finished a staring contest with, stood, leaning in the opening of the statues mouth.

"Jinsoku."

"Pein."

He straightened and when he did, the dim light of the sky caught his right eye. Shoko lowered her head to stop her shocked reaction.

"Those eyes…"

"Yes." Pein said, his voice even and dull. "But you _will_ call me Pein." He prompted.

"Oh? Not Pein-_sama_?"

"I'm not so foolish as to expect you to use any kind of honorific for anyone. Even in the presence of divinity, your stubbornness and lack of mannerisms never fails you."

Shoko would have smiled at that but she couldn't take her mind off the fact that she was teetering with a painful end. She had no idea what the Rinnegan could do at this point. Even as a child, Shoko recalled Nagato's mastery over all elements even the Yin-Yang release. Jiraiya couldn't stop the bragging on his prophetic student. It wouldn't surprise her if he could blow her up with a snap of his fingers, put her back together and blow her up again. She hoped he wouldn't but it could be possible. She could be incapacitated if she were to be blown to bits but as long as her jutsu remained, she would never really die.

"I know that you're presently working for Konohagakure. I'm also aware that they're the ones who demanded you're imprisonment. Why then, do you still choose to help them?"

"I can't blame an entire village for a single man's mistake." She said, knowing she was being hypocritical. She certainly had taken her anger out on the village.

"I understand. And Danzō…" She shifted her gaze to the ringed eyes of the Akatsuki leader. "How do you feel about him? He is the one who ordered it." It wasn't a question. Shoko had no idea how Pein knew that.

"I feel…" She thought for a moment. "I want him dead." She said finally.

"Also understandable." Pein said.

"I don't want your help. I'll never agree to anything- any offer or deal- you have for me. I realize you've brought me here and now that I know you're working with Hanzō you don't plan on letting me live. Kill me then, but let my summon go.-

"Hanzō is dead. He has been dead for a long time. I defeated him and have taken control of this village as its Raikage, no- as its God."

She stared at him for a moment. That sentence was a lot to take in. Hanzō was dead and none of the villages knew about it. Nagato was running Ame and he was-

"God." She repeated, uncertainly. She knew better than to laugh at something like that. Sure, it seemed delusional but no one in their right mind would laugh at a powerful murderer, delusional or not. Perhaps, metaphorically speaking that is, he _was_ God or at least _a_ god. "Where is Yahiko? Surely he's part of this as well."

Pein stepped forward and Shoko took a step back at the sight of him. It was Yahiko.

"He will be a part of this."

"What-

"Long ago, you told me you despised this world. You wished for a new world, a peaceful one."

She narrowed her eyes at his statement, still confused at his appearance.

"You have to work for a new world." Pein continued.

"You want me to work for you…"

"I want you to work with me. I never forgot your words, your beliefs. It's what I stand for now. It's only fitting that you contribute to this new world. Don't you think?"

"What do you intend to do?"

"I intend to put an end to this war-torn terrene." He said.

"Why the tailed beasts?"

"By using the tailed beasts, I will create conflict."

"You want to start a war. This is your plan for peace?" She stared out at the ever present rain. "War. Haven't you seen enough?"

"The world has not. Not yet. Through pain, this world will know peace. I wish to create a weapon to use in order to quell the conflicts."

"Through pain and fear…" She said thoughtfully. "This isn't what I meant." She said sadly. Was this all because she had filled these childrens' heads with terrible ideas? Since when did children ever listen to adults?

"Yes, through pain and fear the world will finally know peace. That is our goal. No one will truly be able to comprehend peace without first knowing pain."

"I didn't teach you to be like this."

"_You_ didn't teach me. Jiraiya-sensei was the one to teach me. _You_ detested me. So much so that you offered to kill me the very night you left. I continued to respect you though. You were an idol to me as a child and because of you I have come this far."

"Jiraiya…" She began with a bitter smile. "He was always talking about the child of prophecy. He was convinced you were that child. And so was I. I still am." Her smile faded and she took on a serious expression, staring into Pein's ringed eyes. "But I believe there are two. One child who will destroy the world…and one child who will save it. From the moment I saw you Nagato- Pein…I knew. I knew which one you were and so I wanted you to die. I wanted to kill you. Jiraiya wouldn't allow it and now look at you."

"You are wrong. I will be the one to save this world. I will be its new God."

"No." She said in an even tone. "You won't."

Pein didn't narrow his eyes; he didn't make a sound of disapproval. He only raised his right palm, a pen atop his desk rose into the air. Shoko watched as it flew toward her at an amazing speed.

Luckily, she was faster and had already manipulated her chakra. The pen stopped in midair, inches from her heart and dropped to the floor at her feet. She looked back at Pein, her face displaying a look of sadness because she was. She was sad that she had failed to kill Nagato long ago. She had grown attached to him but he was destined for evil. He didn't know it. He only thought he was doing good. He thought he was a god. She should have ended his horrible life before it got to this point.

Suddenly she was jerked from her thoughts when a figure appeared, leaning on the desk.

Izuna.

He smiled at her but stayed silent. Shifting her gaze to the floor, she blinked several times and looked back. He was gone.

Pein noticed this but said nothing.

"You already knew I would stop that." She said knowingly. "Why not kill me?"

"I cannot kill you." He said simply. "You're immortal."

"Che." She said. He was only making fun of her now. "Where's my summon?"

"Sit." Pein said, gesturing to a chair. She sat and he immediately formed a few seals. Blue chakra robes wrapped around her wrists, binding them to the arms of the chair and well as her ankles.

The wall beside them dissipated and in the adjoining room was Fujiki. He was tied to a column with the same kind of bindings as herself. A collar was around his neck and he had an absolutely annoying scowl on his face, directed at Shoko.

"I sincerely hope you didn't come here…to the Akatsuki hideout…alone, because of me."

"Tch, don't flatter yourself. I was forced." She snapped. "I came like you wanted. Let him go."

"I was hoping you would have accepted my offer."

"What offer? I admit this world is equivalent to a condemned building but at least give the people a chance to try and salvage it before you tear it down and rebuild."

"The world has had plenty of chances. I can't expect you to understand. You are only human after all."

"Pein." She said through clenched teeth. "I don't know what you're getting at but I won't assist in anyway."

"You haven't even listened to my offer."

"What then, the Kyuubi?" She asked amusedly. "Are you gonna offer to leave him alone?"

"What a foolish thing for me to offer as he is one of the most valuable pieces to this puzzle."

"You have no idea how right you are." She said. Naruto _was_ a valuable piece to the puzzle that was ultimate peace. _He_ was the one who would save the world, not Nagato. It was never supposed to be Nagato.

"I understand that you're searching for Uchiha Madara." Pein said suddenly. The frown melted from Shoko's face and her eyes flashed surprise and perhaps a spark of hope for only a moment before all emotion was gone. "I can give him to you."

"So you know where he is then?"

"He is closer than you think." Pein said cryptically. "You want him dead, correct? If you join this organization I will allow you to fight him once the tailed-beasts are captured."

"There would be no point. I only have orders to defeat him to stop him from destroying the ninja world. If you succeed in creating this 'weapon' of mass destruction then the world is as good as dead anyway. You both can fight over it for all I care."

"That's not true. In the very least, you wish to see him? You must miss your only living family. You _are_ human."

She said nothing, only stared defiantly at him.

"How about this. If you join, I won't kill you and your pet."

"He's just a summon." She bluffed with a shrug. "And you told me you couldn't kill me."

"But I can. I can make it painful. Fūinjutsu... Interesting. No one would guess that you would have done something so simple as to seal your soul into something inanimate, something that couldn't die or decompose. Something that would last forever, assuming no one found it and destroyed it."

"How did you know that?" Shoko growled. She glanced sideways at Fujiki who was starting to look serious. "If you know then-

"No one knows. No one but Konan and I. She won't reveal anything. So will you join me?"

"No, I'd rather die than help destroy the world. I'd rather die than help you harm Naruto."

The pen at her feet shot up and flew towards Fujiki.

Shoko jerked in her chair and struggled against the ropes, watching the path the pen was taking. Just before it hit her companion, it stopped.

"I can kill him."

"Do you really want me to join over something like that? I'll defy you every chance I get. I'll try and kill you the moment you turn your back." She said lowly.

The pen dropped from Fujiki's furry face and leveled itself with his heart. Shoko growled, still jerking her ropes. With a shift of his hand the pen slowly began to pierce the spot in which it was aimed. Fujiki yelped and tried to back away but was restrained by the ropes.

"Stop it!" Shoko yelled at Pein. "Nagato!"

The pen bore deeper without hesitation.

"Would you die for a mere summon?"

"Yes!" She screamed, frantically yanking at the robes and throwing panicked looks to her best friend. "Yes I will. Stop, please! Fu-Fujiki, dismiss yourself!"

"I can't" He said in a strained voice as he tried to cringe away from the foreign object. "…The collar."

"Shit!" She said hopelessly. "Kill me! Kill me! I'll tell you where the object is!"

"Don't you dare." Fujiki growled.

"I'll tell you. Let him go. Let him go." Pein stopped the pen but didn't remove it.

"And the jutsu…" Pein prompted.

"You want me to give you the jutsu?" Pein said nothing so she took it as a 'yes'. She cursed under her breath. She didn't want this man to seal his soul away. Then he really would be undefeatable. She couldn't let him hurt Fujiki anymore though. Could she lie? No, that would only cause more trouble. That would be like dodging a paper weight when Tsunade threw it. You would only be asking for worse, might as well take the first hit and get it over with. "Okay…fuck…okay. I'll show it to you." She said quietly, defeated.

"No." Fujiki warned.

"Let him go. I'll tell you where to find the object and then I'll teach you the jutsu. You can kill me after." She wasn't planning on going out without a fight though. He might be able to get to the object, though she was hoping once Fujiki was released he would retrieve it and hide it elsewhere, but she was going make sure he couldn't use it. Even if she had to give her own evasive soul over to the Shinigami. She would take him with her.

Shoko didn't know what Madara's plans were but Pein's seemed more of a threat to the world at the moment. She was frantic and clawing at anything and everything she could to get her companion free. Later she would consider the consequences and perhaps come up with a plan. When her mind was clearer.

The pen dropped and the ropes around Fujiki vanished as did his collar.

"Go." She said, not looking up. He didn't move. "Fujiki." She lifted her head to look him in the eyes, hoping he understood the silent message. She needed him to get to the object before it fell into Pein's hands.

He frowned at her. "You had better not die." Then he poofed away.

"Pein…" Konan spoke up. "Letting the tanuki go may cause trouble in the future. He now knows our location and our goals."

"I've only allowed him freedom, with the knowledge that no one else possesses the ability to summon Tanuki. No one has been able obtained the ability for centuries, with the exception of one, Kobayashi Shoko. I'm not concerned with him giving away our location." Pein said.

Shoko repressed a smirk. Just a few weeks ago, Naruto had signed a contract with the Tanuki so he was able to summon them as well as the Toads. He would be trying to summon Fujiki constantly after Shoko had been taken. It was only a matter of time. Until then, Shoko would indeed have to lie about the location of the object. She could always blame it on her horrible memory.

* * *

**R&R for quicker updates! =)**


	25. Twenty Three

**Twenty Three**

_The Object_

"Enter."

Kakashi, Asuma and Yamato appeared before the Hokage's desk.

Tsunade made a dramatic lean as if looking for someone else.

"The two Akatsuki who were threatening the borders of Fire Country have been eliminated." Kakashi said.

"Excellent. Where is Shoko?" Tsunade said, knowing she wouldn't like the answer. The three shinobi were fully aware of that fact as well. Yamato spoke up.

"She was taken by another Akatsuki. We couldn't stop them, one moment they were there, the next-

"She's gone…" Tsunade interrupted with a glare.

"Oh, I wouldn't get upset just yet. We're not even to the worse part." Kakashi added.

"And that is?"

"Before she left she was hallucinating." Kakashi said. Asuma and Yamato turned to him.

"Why didn't you tell us that?" Asuma asked.

Kakashi shrugged. "I wasn't sure if I was going to mention it at all but after thinking about it…

"We could be in a very bad situation here." Tsunade finished. "If Madara is in fact associated with the Akatsuki then there is no doubt he will reveal himself to her. If she's losing it she may be swayed to the other side. If she is, then we're doomed. She knows more secrets about this village than even myself."

"What do you propose we do?" Asuma asked her.

Tsunade thought for a moment then sighed. "Nothing. You three won't be involved in this anymore."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Asuma asked.

"Shoko is a threat. If she's given a chance to switch sides- we just can't chance that. We have shinobi trained for this. You three have done your jobs."

"You're going to send out hunters…" Kakashi trailed off.

"No!" Naruto yelled, sticking his head through the window.

Tsunade closed her eyes and breathed deep. "Naruto, you really need to stop picking up Kobayashi's bad habits. Use the door next time and stop eavesdropping."

It didn't go unnoted that no one in the room had even sensed his presence. All of that time spent sneaking up on Shoko really did him good.

Naruto stepped through the window, followed by a furry raccoon dog.

"Fujiki…" Tsunade said, surprised. Naruto grinned ear to ear.

"That's right, bachan. I signed the contract with em a few weeks ago. I've been tryin to summon him since we got back."

"So, what do you have to say?" Tsunade asked Fujiki.

"I can't convince you not to send hunters after her but I can tell you she hasn't lost her mind. She refused to help the Akatsuki leader in their goals which I will also tell you about. There's something I need to show you first."

"Oh?" Tsunade asked. "And what's that?"

Fujiki held out his paw. In it, was a small black okimono of a vicious looking tanuki guarding a ball of some sort.

"What is it?" Tsunade asked, taking it into her hand and holding it up.

"It's extremely important. Don't drop it." Fujiki said, his eyes never leaving the okimono. "It needs to be hidden. Somewhere where no one can find it. It would be best if the minimal amount of people knew about its whereabouts. Perhaps the Sarutobi can find somewhere…" He shot Asuma a look.

Asuma knew what it was from the moment Fujiki told Tsunade not to drop it. He also knew exactly where to put it.

"Why can't we just hide it here in the village? We can keep it in here." Naruto suggested.

"Because, as bad as it sounds, if the village is attacked or Kami forbid, destroyed then that object has to be somewhere where it can't be harmed. In the very least it has to be in something that will keep it from being jostled. If it so much as cracks…" Fujiki trailed off, unable to even think about what would happen right now, but he was sure Asuma and Kakashi knew.

"Fine. Asuma, take it. Put it somewhere safe. I assume you know where Shoko would have wanted it placed, which is why he suggested you." Tsunade handed Asuma the okimono. "Don't leave yet. Fujiki, finish."

"Tsunade-hime…perhaps I should wait until everyone-

"Everyone in this office is involved in this mission. They also know that nothing is to leave this room."

Fujiki sighed, "I wasn't in the room with her while she talked to them but I do know that the Akatsuki base is located in Amegakure, Hanzō is dead and the Akatsuki leader seems to be the one running the village."

Tsunade stared in shock.

"That's not all. The leader…you know him." Fujiki said. "He's one of the three Ame brats Jiraiya trained. The one with the eyes."

"And the other two?"

"I can't say. The girl is a member but...the outspoken one with the obnoxious hair, he wasn't around…per say."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, his body was there but he wasn't. I don't understand it myself. The silent one is the leader and he seems to be using the other one's body."

"And the tailed beasts?"

"I don't know. They're definitely after them all. I wasn't able to hear but Shoko was yelling something about the end of the world. A weapon of some kind. He also offered her Uchiha Madara so it's confirmed that he is indeed alive and at least has some kind of affiliation with the Akatsuki. She refused though."

"I knew he was." She mumbled. "A weapon? That must be what the beasts are for. How did _you_ get out?"

"She agreed to show him the jutsu and reveal to him the location of that." Fujiki said, pointing to the okimono in Asuma's hand.

"The immortality jutsu she uses? She can't! He'll be invincible."

"I don't think she plans on showing him. She was grasping at anything to get him to let me go."

Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples. "Are you going to tell me what _that_ is?"

"Her soul."

"I thought so." She said.

"What?" Naruto said, looking back at the object with a new found curiosity. "Her soul is in that thing?"

"Yes." Fujiki answered simply.

"So it's not even a ninjutsu like everyone assumed."

"No. And it's her only weakness so keep it safe. As long as that remains whole, she'll be able to keep Madara at bay. I'm only showing you this because I want you to trust her. If she puts you in danger then the one who hides the object can destroy it."

"And if it gets broken?" Naruto asked.

"That depends. If it's cracked, depending on the size of it, her body will slowly disintegrate until the crack is sealed. Whatever damage is caused will never heal. It's part of her soul that would have escaped confinement. If it's broken…then she'll be reduced to what she would be if she hadn't created the jutsu. Bones and dust. That is the only way to kill her permanently. The Akatsuki leader knew this somehow and used me to get her to reveal its location. He let me go probably thinking that no one but Shoko could summon Tanuki since it's not been possible for some time. Luckily Naruto signed the contract weeks ago and was able to summon me. Once he did I retrieved the object as quickly as possible and now here I am." Then he added, "I don't believe Shoko will betray the village no matter the offer. Naruto is too important to her. More important even, than her brother. She believes, as do the Tanuki elders, that Naruto is one of the children of prophecy."

"One of them?"

"There are two. Naruto, Shoko believes, will save the world. The one who's leading the Akatsuki is the doppelganger. It's well known that when one meets their doppelganger-

"Then one will die…" Tsunade said, staring at Naruto who had remained quiet.

"Yes."

"There's no way I'm gonna die." Naruto said quietly with determination. "And there's no way I'm gonna let anyone else hurt my Godmother."


	26. Twenty Four

**Twenty Four**

_Betrayal_

Shoko sat with her back to the outer edge of the massive statues mouth while looking out over the village and attempting to ignore the fact that she was filthy and wet.

Nagato had sent Zetsu to retrieve her soul minutes ago and try as she might she couldn't control the harsh pounding of her terrified heart. She was almost certain he could hear it.

"So am I stuck in this office for good or do I get to go out and play. I mean the weather here is pretty shi-

"What is it you want to do? As soon as Zetsu returns with the object, you can go wherever you please."

"Oh? You aren't going to prod the jutsu out of me and then kill me?" He didn't answer. "Well that's surprising. Could it be that the cold emotionless Leader-sama has a bit of a soft spot for his old sensei?" Still no answer.

She shifted her gaze to Konan who stood silently and just as emotionless against the wall. "You two were such cute children." She rambled mostly to herself. "Especially Konan-chan. I always knew you would grow into a beautiful woman. You were the reason I stayed, ya know? Because I couldn't bear to leave you. I had always wanted a little girl." She paused, looking out at the dreary village. "I'd always wanted a child." She spoke quietly to the rain. "I remember the conversation that night with Jiraiya." Nagato's pen stopped moving at that but he showed no other signs of listening. "I remember how I felt when I offered to kill you. I was lying. I wouldn't have done it. I couldn't. The three of you- I felt like we were a family. I don't think you heard the beginning of our talk Nagato. I begged Jiraiya to let me bring you back. He wouldn't let me. I got angry and said childish things…" She paused for a moment then shook her head. "I don't know." She finished, tilting her head back to rest against the wall.

Not even a minute later, Zetsu appeared. Pein glanced over at him expectantly.

"The object was not there. **Perhaps she lied**." Zetsu looked over at Shoko.

"I didn't lie. The okimono was there. Someone must have taken it."

"**Oh? You don't seem worried**."

"Oh I'm worried but not as much as I would be had you returned with it. Whoever has it obviously doesn't want me dead yet unlike my ungrateful student here."

"That's enough. Who would have it?" Nagato asked Shoko.

"I don't know. I can't _feel _where my soul is. I only know where I put it."

"You sealed your soul into an object and then left it in a cave? You never thought to add a tracker or sensatory jutsu to it?"

Shoko shrugged. "No but that probably would have been a good idea." And she was telling the honest to Kami truth too. It would have been a great idea.

"I need to speak her. Alone." Zetsu sunk into the floor and Konan left the room without question.

Nagato narrowed his eyes at Shoko. She stood, not sure if she was about to be attacked or questioned.

Before she could blink, she was pinned to the wall. Nagato was still standing beside his desk. He walked toward her and didn't stop until he was inches from her face. She returned his blank stare.

"Did I make a mistake, letting that Tanuki go?"

If it were only because Fujiki had retrieved her soul she would have rubbed it in his face but the okimono wasn't even a blip on Nagato's radar right now. He was worried that Fujiki had succeeded in getting information to Konoha.

"No." She whispered.

"I don't believe you." He said quietly. She swallowed. "I can always use you to get to him."

"What do you want Nagato? You would have killed me if you didn't absolutely need me."

"Help me."

"I won't harm Naruto."

"I won't ask you to." He said. "I want you by my side as an advisor. Despite what you think, I only seek peace."

"Then you're going about it wrong."

"Teach me."

"Stop collecting the tailed beasts."

"I cannot do that."

"If I help you, I'll be betraying the Leaf."

"Yes."

They both knew that it was no skin off her back, betraying Konoha. Konoha had only treated her like a monster for the past two decades. She was planning to off the elders and Danzō sooner or later anyway. At least if she worked within Akatsuki she had a better chance at destroying it from the inside out while simultaneously getting help in killing off Konoha's elders and ultimately keeping Fujiki and Naruto safe.

The only down side was that Naruto would hate her. Not to mention Asuma, Kakashi, Jiraiya and the rest of the ones she had become close to. Hate though, was a small sacrifice that she was willing to make compared to the one she would have had to make had she refused. She might argue with her companion constantly but anyone could tell that Shoko would give the world, literally, for Fujiki. He was the one constant in her life. He was her best friend and she would do anything and everything to keep him as well as Naruto alive.

"Okay. At the very least let me try and create a safer jutsu for the remaining jinchūriki. I've read the report about the Kazekage. I know there's no chance in survival the way you're doing it now. If I can keep them alive…"

Nagato nodded once and backed away from her, releasing whatever gravitational pull he had on her. She breathed deeply.

"Konan will give you a cloak but if you want to be a part of the extractions then you'll need Orochimaru's ring."

"Orochimaru?"

"He was a former member. He defected but kept his ring."

"Son of a bitch." Shoko said.

"Zetsu will accompany you since you're both the quickest travelers. If you need assistance-

He cut himself off when she shot him an indignant look.

"Oh, that's right. He is a former protégé of yours isn't he?" She didn't answer. "Once you retrieve the ring there's a base outside of the Hot Springs Village-

"You have other bases?"

"Ah, but you will only know of the minimum." Of course he didn't trust her. She probably hadn't gotten any points after telling him she would attempt to kill him the moment he turned his back on her. "The base there has a laboratory. You can use that."

A laboratory. Shoko was almost excited over the concept of having another one but she quickly reminded herself of her situation.

"And Zetsu knows where Orochimaru is right now?"

"He can show you where the base is. There's no way of knowing if he's currently there. Also, two of my other members are currently traveling to that area to collect the Three Tails. It's without a jinchūriki so it shouldn't be difficult but Zetsu will keep an eye out. If you cross paths or if they do need you I'm sure it wouldn't be too much of a strain to lend a hand."

"The Three Tails…I've fought its jinchūriki when it had one. I thought it'd been killed along with him later on. Hn. Interesting. Fine, anything else?"

"There is an Uchiha traveling with Orochimaru." He said conversationally.

"I know."

"Do not upset me, _Sensei_."

"I could care less about some Uchiha brat." Shoko commented with a dull expression before walking out into the hallway to meet Konan.

"I suppose you need a cloak since you're still alive."

"Aw such mean comments." Shoko said. "What happened to the sweet little girl who used to teach me origami?"

"She witnessed too much war." Konan said sadly.

Shoko glanced at her. "You three weren't the only children who've experienced a rough existence."

"No, we weren't, but we are the only ones who choose to do something about it."

Shoko sighed and walked beside her down the hallway.

She had to start thinking of some kind of plan because at the moment she was just riding the tide. She knew one thing though; she had to get to her soul before anyone else did. She knew that Fujiki would have brought it to Tsunade to assure her of Shoko's innocence before hiding it underground. Normally Shoko would have just left it there but Asuma and Shikamaru knew of the safe. Once Konoha got wind of Shoko's 'betrayal' that would be the first place Asuma would go.

She couldn't summon Fujiki to move the okimono with Zetsu around at all times. Even if she could, how could she convince him that she was only trying to keep this situation from spiraling out of control? She couldn't. He wouldn't hear it.

And the ring. Apparently it was valuable if she needed it to participate in the extraction jutsu so there was no doubt that Orochimaru would have taken it with him where ever he went. That meant that unless she arrived while he was out then there would be some kind of confrontation.

"Here" Konan handed her a black cloak, complete with red clouds. "It's no Yogo-Sha robe but it will have to do." Shoko could swear Konan's lip twitched at that. She raised a brow when the other woman handed her a kasa.

"It's no bright green peasant hat but it'll do." She commented, taking the hat. This time Konan let a small smile slip.

"I'm glad you are here." She said. "Please don't disobey him. I'll be obligated to fight you and you are one of the last people I want to fight."

"I understand." Shoko said. "I don't wanna fight you either." They both knew though, that sooner or later one of them would die.

* * *

Back in Konoha, Tsunade sat at her desk staring down at her tower of paperwork.

She couldn't be bothered with it at the moment. She had other things on her mind. A message had just come in from an ANBU who was sent out to search for Orochimaru and any hideouts. Apparently he was closing in on one but was intercepted before he could reach it. He managed to send a message pigeon but he had yet to show up himself which more than likely meant he was dead and all ANBU are sworn to destroy their bodied before death. This meant he would be no more so all they had to go on was his simple message.

In addition to that, Tsunade had just finished an autopsy on the Akatsuki, Kakuzu's body. She had ultimately come to the conclusion that Naruto's finishing technique; the Rasengan Shuriken should never be used again or else endanger him of losing the ability to manipulate chakra. That was something even she couldn't cure.

As if that wasn't enough she was constantly paranoid that Shoko was endangering her own self of over exertion. If what Kakashi had said was correct, then Shoko was over using her teleportation technique and Kami forbid perhaps even using her kekkei genkai without her team noticing.

Tsunade wouldn't put it past her. Shoko was the kind of person who had so much confidence in herself that when faced with the danger of losing, she would do almost anything to turn the tables. If that didn't work then she would split. It wouldn't take much to damage her body though. She was still recovering from her condition after being imprisoned for so long.

If Shoko's mind did become unbalanced then the possibility of the Akatsuki using that to their advantage or even Madara for that matter, was very likely. If that were to happen then Tsunade would have no choice but to destroy the okimono. She couldn't risk an enemy like Shoko, especially if she were to partner up with her brother. They would be unstoppable. Tsunade had no doubt that the only reason Madara was defeated by her grandfather so long ago was because Shoko had made the decision to remain with Hashirama rather than betray him.

That thought gave Tsunade a little relief. Even back then Shoko had chosen Leaf over Madara. Perhaps now, even after the village's mistreatment of her, she would stay loyal, if only for Naruto.

Shizune handed her a paper and she looked it over, nodding in agreement.

"I guess they'll work for the search team. Is Kakashi here yet?"

"I told him to come but he's probably got his hands full." Shizune answered.

"We'd better have someone guard Naruto or else he'll start training with that new technique again."

"But if he does that, then he'll lose the ability to manipulate chakra."

"Ah, and if that happens, his days as a shinobi are finished."

"We'll we can't let that happen." Came a gruff voice from the window. Tsunade and Shizune whipped around to see Jiraiya smiling at them from atop the window seal. "Long time no see."

"I thought you were investigating Akatsuki. Have you heard?"

"I've heard a lot." Jiraiya said with a shrug.

"Then you know Shoko is with them."

"Hm?" He turned a serious look to her. "No. So she switched sides then…" Jiraiya knew that if that were the case then they were in trouble. Shoko herself might not be physically strong enough to make a crater the size of a moon like Tsunade but she had enough knowledge and enough skill to take down the entire village by herself if she truly wanted to. That made her even more dangerous than their current enemies. Having her allying with Akatsuki or Madara would result in complete decimation; a catalyst.

"Not necessarily." Tsunade sighed. "But Naruto was able to summon Fujiki and he had a good bit of information." So she told him everything Fujiki had revealed, including Akatsuki's goal in creating a weapon with the tailed beasts, the identity of the leader and Shoko's jutsu which he had somewhat known about from the morning after she was released. She also told him what Fujiki had said about Shoko believing in two prophetic children.

"Nagato..." He said in deep thought.

"Ah."

"He would want her to help." Jiraiya said confidently. During the year she had stayed, she was always going on about harsh means to a peaceful world. It was just the way she was, extreme and outspoken. Back then she was convinced fear was the most efficient way to achieve respect. She had no idea how much of an impact she was making just by filling those kids heads with those beliefs.

"But I'm told she refused."

"She would but I wonder how long she can before Nagato figures out a way to use her against us without her consent."

"Or Madara."

* * *

"Did Naruto accept it?" Tsunade asked Kakashi.

"He's really grown up. I also left him in Jiraiya hands."

"That's good." Tsunade nodded, turning from the window. "I've got a job I need you to take care of." She grabbed a file from her desk and handed it to him. "It's a reconnaissance mission. Although we haven't been able to confirm it yet, an ANBU said he found a place he thought to be one of Orochimaru's hideouts. However, that ANBU was killed and the map he sent us only has a general area marked."

"I see."

"What do you think of the members I've selected?"

Kakashi flipped the file shut, "I think they're the best members for a reconnaissance mission."

"Good, you'll leave this evening." Tsunade said.

* * *

Her long auburn hair remain beneath the heavy black and red cloak. Her face hidden under a wheat colored kasa. The woman appeared in the center of a large field, her partner appearing seconds later beside her before they began a trek to toward their destination into the forests.

"Well, whoever was here is gone now."

"**Or buried**." Zetsu added as they surveyed the area. It looked as if there used to be a cave or some sort but the cave had collapsed. "This happened recently."

Shoko kicked at the sand that swirled around the rubble. She spotted a few shinobi prints and some canine prints but decided not to say anything.

"Tch, well? I can't sense anyone nea…." She began but trailed off as a light cloud of what looked like glitter breezed past them. She reached out to catch one and looked it over. "I've never seen anything like this before." She said, intrigued at the magenta colored crystal. "Have you?"

"No." Zetsu said, disinterested. "We'll head east toward the Hot Springs Village." It made sense. Whatever this crystal substance was it had blown in from the East and there was a large possibility that whatever had created it had something to do with Orochimaru since it was so closed to his recently destroyed hideout.

That, and Hot Springs was their ultimate destination anyway. The Three Tails as well as the laboratory were both there. If Orochimaru was traveling east too then he was certainly doing her a huge favor. He would have the ring. She knew he would. And she was going to get it. Then she was going to retrieve the okimono.

What she didn't yet realize was that, not only were there two more Akatsuki members, a three tailed turtle and Orochimaru within her reach but Team Kurenai and Kakashi were just ahead of them as well as Jiraiya and Naruto who were already in the Hot Springs Village.

* * *

**Next chapter is full of confrontation =) R&R Please**


	27. Twenty Five

**Twenty Five**

_Confrontation_

"Wha?" Shoko said turning toward the odd sound behind her. "Wha!" She flailed her arms blindly at the bat that had just flown straight into her face. "Get it off me! Get it off!" She lost her balance and slipped from the branch but vanished and reappeared on the forest floor batting away at the air around her and running her fingers through her long hair to make sure nothing was caught in it.

All the while Zetsu remained motionless on his perch staring down at Shoko as if she were the most uninteresting thing in the world.

"What? Did you see how big that thing was? Holy shit, it was like some kind of bat mutant." She whispered loudly, leaping back up to her place beside Zetsu.

"Are you okay to travel?" He asked sarcastically.

"Oh fuck you."

"You're beginning to sound like Hidan." Zetsu commented. "**It's unbecoming**."

"Heh, like you care what I sound like."

"You annoy us."

"Eat me, Daisy." She snapped, leaping away from him.

"**We plan to**." Zetsu's black half chuckled. "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Orochimaru incapacitates her."

* * *

Kiba skidded to a halt. His brows furrowed. Akamaru whined beside him.

"What is it Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked, stopping beside him.

"Sh-Shoko."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at that. "She's here?"

"I don't know. It's faint. Either she was here before the rain or someone who was carrying something of hers walked through here."

"We'll we can't follow until Shino catches up." Kakashi said. They had left Shino behind to collect the bugs that had grown immune to whatever crystal jutsu had hit them earlier.

"Why would Shoko-san be out here?" Hinata asked. "Do you think Akatsuki is with her?"

"I'm not sure." Kakashi said looking down at the kunoichi. "How did you know Shoko was with Akatsuki?"

"Sakura told us." Kiba said.

"Sakura-chan hm? Well we should keep that knowledge quiet. We don't want the village to get the wrong impression. It could cause a major disturbance."

"Hai." Hinata said quietly.

"The trail is heading in the same direction that we are. If they stop for anything between here and the Hot Springs Village we should be able to catch up." Kiba said.

"If it _is_ Shoko then that means she's searching for something or someone." Kakashi mumbled.

"Eh? How do you know that?"

"That's the only reason she would leave a trail. When she travels she teleports unless she's not sure of her destination. If her scent is leading away from here then that means she's traveling by foot. Are there any other scents around?"

Kiba glanced at Akamaru but the dog only shook his head. "He doesn't smell anything else. Just her and the occasional scents of the other group from earlier."

"Alright. We'll wait for Shino then we'll head in the direction of the trail."

It couldn't be a coincidence that Shoko was in the same area of Orochimaru's hideout. She was searching for something. But if she was by herself…could she had left Akatsuki and sought out Orochimaru? Kakashi was almost sure she would never have done that. If she left Akatsuki it would be to come back to Konoha. But here? Could Orochimaru have something she needed? It wasn't impossible. He had thousands of jutsu. Maybe she was looking for a particular one. If she confronted him, there would surely be a battle and if that were to happen while Sasuke was with him…someone he cared about was going to get hurt, if not killed.

All Kakashi could be sure about was that Shoko was here and she was closing in on Orochimaru.

* * *

Shoko landed lightly on the ground and glanced around at her surroundings with narrowed eyes.

"Who are you, Akatsuki?" Came a disinterested voice from behind.

"I won't give you my name." She responded without turning.

She felt him move quickly so she vanished and reappeared on a large branch behind her attacker. The young man turned and starred at her.

"Hm. Tall, dark, handsome…perma-scowl. You _must _be an Uchiha." Shoko taunted. She caught the smallest flash of confusion in his eyes before he retained his former indifference. "Sasuke." She added as an afterthought. He narrowed his eyes and reached for the hilt of his sword to which her eyes traveled to. "Hm? Kusanagi…" She whispered. It only confused Sasuke more. How did she know who he was and what the name of his sword was?

"I'll ask you one last time. Who are you…"

"Sasuke-kun. You shouldn't be so stern with your aunt." Came a voice from the trees. Shoko started. She hadn't felt him at all.

Sasuke furrowed his brows in confusion.

"That's right Sasuke. The woman before you is Kobayashi Shoko."

"Kobayashi…" Sasuke trailed off. "You were imprisoned."

"I was." She nodded. "Sasuke, did you know that Orochimaru is planning to use you? To use your body. His time is dwindling. You've learned all you can from him. Help me and I'll help you."

A sickening laugh sounded as a breeze blew dead leaves from the trees around them.

"I've promised to help Sasuke with his revenge. Only with my help can he obtain it." Orochimaru said.

"He's lying."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. She wasn't sure if it was at her or Orochimaru since Orochimaru was materialized anywhere to direct a glare towards.

She reached a hand out to Sasuke but, not surprisingly, he didn't make a move toward her.

"At the very least, allow me to complete my own mission. I promise I won't attack if you don't."

He still said nothing but his hand dropped from the hilt of his blade. She looked away from him and sneered at the trees. "Orochimaru." She said. "You already know what want. Give it to me and maybe I'll allow you to continue living until Sasuke decides to kill you himself."

A small twister of leaves formed on the ground below her and she stared down at it with little to no emotion.

The leaves melded and soon her old student was standing before her.

"You've joined Akatsuki now? How ironic. Following in your student's footsteps."

That was when she realized that all of her students, save for Asuma, had either lead or been a member of that retched organization and now here she was donning their trademark colors.

"I need the ring."

"So how did you get _Leader-sama_ to trust you, hm?" Orochimaru went on, ignoring her request.

"I gave him the location of an important object." She said, knowing full well that it wouldn't make sense to him as he didn't know how her jutsu worked. For a moment though she thought she saw his eyes widen but it was soon cover by a wicked smile.

"Is that so?" He asked.

"Give me the fucking ring or so help me-

"You'll what? Kill me? You couldn't kill me Sensei. You couldn't lay a hand on me-

She spun a clawed grip around her fingers and stared down at him. "That was before I went to prison for you, you ungrateful little brat. And wipe that cheerful smile off your face. It's distracting."

His smile widened. "Sasuke-kun." He said, tilting his head slightly toward the young Uchiha. "Don't interfere."

Shoko didn't let him finished the last word before her small frame burst into blue electricity and vanished again.

Sasuke had heard stories about her from Itachi when he was little. He knew she was fast but seeing it caught him off guard. He leapt back into a tree a safe distance away but remained; interested in seeing how it would turn out. She had known Orochimaru was planning on using his body which wasn't a huge surprise. Even Naruto had known that. He had been planning on making his own move within the week but if she was going to kill the snake bastard now then that would just be less work for him.

She appeared beside Orochimaru and placed a hand on his stomach then sent a jolt of lightning through him but he had grabbed onto her wrist and she was jerked back when his grip tightened with the rigidness of shock. It only lasted a second but she knew it had affected him. He twisted her wrist and she yelped when it snapped easily in his firm grasp. She dropped to the ground and sweep kicked but Orochimaru had already released his grip on her and leapt away.

She cradled her hand but made sure to keep her expression blank as she stared up at him. She could have teleported away but after what happened only days ago she knew she couldn't rely on that so much.

Snakes shot from Orochimaru's sleeves and she jump back several times to evade their persistent onslaught. Luckily she mastered the art of one handed signs or she would have been unable to use many ninjutsu that required them.

Her fingers flew at her side, making a complicated set of signs before she crouched and slammed a hand to the earth.

"Raiton: Doragon Unagi" A massive eel burst from the ground in front of her. It reared up as a viper would when preparing to strike then shot toward her old student, wiping out everything in its jagged path including the foliage and the reptiles. It was so fast that Orochimaru only had a second to summon a gate of Rashōmon before the lightning struck. It didn't dent but the gate itself groaned into a lean with the impact.

"Using the powerful jutsus already _Sensei_?"

"Heh, you shouldn't be so naïve." She said glancing at the darkened sky with a bitter smirk. Orochimaru glanced up too but with a frown. She was right, he hadn't been thinking. Her affinity was lightning and after a storm like the one that had just passed, lightning and static would be easier for her to manipulate. It would cost her less chakra to use bigger Lightning techniques. "You're at more than one disadvantage. Give up the ring Orochimaru-_kun_."

"You're the naïve one Kobayashi. You're in a predicament. That _is_ why you keep offering to stop our battle. You're in as weakened a state as myself am I right? Are you winded yet old woman?"

"Tch." She appeared directly in front of him, skewering him with a tekko kagi. His eyes widened and he gasped but Shoko immediately knew something wasn't right. She narrowed her eyes as the form of Orochimaru melted into mud around her arm. She hated clones. She was never able to make them.

She took a defensive position and focused on her surroundings.

There was only a second of thought before she was forced to leap into the air as a sword shot out from the dirt beneath her feet. When she realized the sword was still extending she twisted in the air and pushed off the trunk of the tree beside her, narrowly avoiding being run through.

She landed agilely a few meters away from Orochimaru who now stood facing her with a sword wielding snake protruding from his mouth.

"I see. I wasn't prepared for _that_. I thought you had given your sword to Sasuke, but it's clear now that that you still have the original Kusanagi."

Orochimaru smiled around the snake. "Did you think I would give away the one thing you ever gave me?"

She smiled at him. Genuinely smiled and shook her head. "Of course not."

Orochimaru swung the snake towards her but this time she blocked it with her own claws. The blow was so powerful though, that she slid back a few feet. She wasn't physically strong enough to hold it off so she ducked her head and allowed it to breeze over her. A few strands of hair fluttered to the ground around her crouched form.

"I won't ask again." She said, straightening but still staring at the ground.

"Good." Orochimaru said. He made a few hand signs then said, "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu"

A large ball of fire barreled toward her but what happened next was the real icing. That Katon was only a simple fire jutsu that even some high level shinobi who weren't masters at Katon could use. The fire ball was easy enough to dodge but…

He flew through another set of hand signs "Futon: Daitoppa"

As soon and the massive gust of wind caught up to the fireball the entire forest between them ignited into a huge explosion. She knew that even Orochimaru and Sasuke would have had to move to avoid being hit by that.

She turned and started to dash away but knew there was no outrunning nature, not even for the fastest shinobi so she clenched her teeth and teleported. She appeared behind Orochimaru and swung a fist at him just as he lifted an arm to block her.

* * *

Almost half a mile away, Kakashi and his team halted at the sound of a huge explosion. The ground below them trembled for a few moments and birds took to the sky around them. They looked west of the direction they were traveling.

Akamaru barked and Kiba looked down at him. "He says she's there." He spoke nodding in the direction they were looking.

"Hai, I can see them. There are three, a little less than half a mile in that direction. One of them isn't fighting." Hinata squinted her eyes. "Sasuke-kun." She whispered to herself, hoping fiercely that it was him and that he would come back with them. For Naruto's sake.

* * *

They fought close ranged for several minutes before Orochimaru choose to use his Kusanagi again. It nicked her already wounded arm. She countered too late but was still able to knock the sword from the snake's mouth. It clattered to the ground a few feet behind him but he made no move to retrieve it. The cocky bastard.

She leapt back several times and noted a small overhang behind her. It was only about 20 meters off the ground but she leapt atop it and stared down at Orochimaru who only smiled up at her.

She winced and her hand flew to her damaged arm in an attempt to add pressure and ease the pain. Well she had thought it was a nick but now that she had a closer look and the adrenaline was fading, she could see the huge gash from her shoulder to her elbow through the shredded black cloak.

"Had enough already _Sensei_? I haven't even gotten started." He was lying and she could tell. He'd been pulling out all the stops but it seemed as if he was hiding something. As if he was trying to maintain his chakra and keep his stronger techniques secret. She looked at Sasuke who leaned against a trunk, facing away from them. She knew he was watching the battle, as uninterested as he wanted to appear. Maybe that was why. Maybe Orochimaru was keeping some ultimate technique from Sasuke in case he needed to use it on him later or maybe Shoko was just thinking too much into it.

The breeze blew and with it a new scent. She tilted her face toward the trees just as Kakashi, Kiba, Shino, Hinata and Akamaru landed in the clearing.

Shoko cursed her luck. With this cursed cloak, Kakashi would get the wrong idea. He would surely send word to Tsunade and she would kill her without a second thought. Happily even. She had to get out of here and get the okimono and she had to do it now.

She thought for a moment, wanting nothing more than to tell Kakashi that she was still on his side. That she had a plan and that the cloak meant nothing but she knew Zetsu was nearby so she didn't dare.

She would just have to act out her part and hope that she could get to the okimono before Tsunade found out. After that everything else could wait.

"Kakashi." Orochimaru smiled at him and Shoko smirked slightly knowing that she could use this to her advantage. Orochimaru was distracted with the Leaf and as long as they didn't decide to attack her first, she could take the ring and go, giving her a head start in retrieving the okimono. She just needed to find an excuse to go to Konoha. One that Pein would agree to.

Kakashi wore his usual lazy expression with a slight edge. Shoko knew he might look unprepared but he could move at the blink of an eye if he needed. She only hoped it would be directed at Orochimaru and not her.

She remained silent for the moment, not wanting to draw more attention than necessary.

"Kakashi…" Sasuke said from his equally unfazed stance against the tree. "What are Leaf doing here?"

"Oh, you know I can't discuss mission objectives with anyone who isn't on the mission, Sasuke." Kakashi said with an eye creasing smile.

"Shoko, what are _you_ doing?" Kiba yelled up at her. She turned from Orochimaru to stare at the group below. Leaving them to battle Orochimaru wouldn't be horrible, would it? He was already exhausted so he couldn't be much trouble. In fact he would probably take off once he had an opening. Sasuke on the other hand might fight them. She had no doubt Kakashi could handle it though. Kakashi could handle anything.

"Kiba…" She said evenly. "I'm-" What was she? Sorry? No, that was pathetic. Something like that might drive him to attack. "Did you honestly believe that I would remain in the very village that buried me beneath it and forgot about me?"

"Yes! I did! I thought that…at least you would stay for us. When I heard where you were I thought '_there was no way she could betray us!_' We trusted you! _Naruto_ trusted you…" Kiba clenched his fists.

"Trust is a careless pursuit at best." She deadpanned, an bitter smile on her lips. "At worst, it's a good way to get yourself killed."

Akamaru growled up at her and she spared him a glance before looking back at Kiba. A single tear streaked a clean path down his dirty cheek before he roughly wiped it away only becoming angrier at his own traitorous emotions. Kakashi, though, was watching Shoko. He had caught the flicker of emotion in her eyes and the falter in her smile at the sight of Kiba's small breakdown.

Rarely had Shoko felt this terrible in all of her years. She never imagined that Kiba would be this hurt by her betrayal. She couldn't imagine what Naruto would do.

Yes she could.

He would come after her. That was something she didn't want.

Kakashi put a hand on Kiba's shoulder and spoke lowly to him. Shoko couldn't hear but she was glad Kakashi was there. He might not speak a lot but most of the things that came out of his mouth were comforting.

She remained unmoving, as did Orochimaru. It seemed they were at a standstill. Three different enemies and no one was sure who to attack.

While Orochimaru turned to taunt Kakashi, Shoko took that moment to subtlety eye his hands. She spotted the Akatsuki ring.

She sucked in a breath. There was only one shot at this jutsu. If it didn't work then she would be all out of chakra with no way of getting the ring without that prick, Zetsu's help.

She moved her fingers beneath the sleeve of her cloak. "Kasoku Suru" She breathed catching Orochimaru's attention and causing him to turn toward her. She remained unmoving and eyeing him with indifference but while he observed her he felt a presence behind him. Too late did his instincts kick in before Shoko had already twisted his wrist behind his back and pull the ring from his finger. After which she snapped his wrist. He merely winced at the pain and she leaned in.

"That was for _my_ wrist." She growled. He glanced back up to the overhang and watched as her own image vanished into thin air before the Shoko behind him released his hand and sent a roundhouse to his back. He flew forward into a tree. Splintering part of it and slumping to the ground staring at her in what Shoko might call shock. "That was for letting me go to prison for you. And this…" She lifted the Kusanagi that she had snatched from the ground behind him only seconds earlier and pointed it at him. The blade shot towards him and buried itself just below his ribs. "…is for those children. Especially," She twisted the blade and he gasped. "especially for Anko."

The hilt of the blade took on the form of a snake and wrapped around her damaged arm. She looked down her nose at the pathetic attempt before vanishing from its grasp and appearing in her previous perch atop the overhang, trying in earnest to stay upright and unfazed.

The events had unfolded within the span of about thirty seconds.

Silence reigned while everyone waited to see what Orochimaru would do if in fact, he could do anything.

At first his face had taken on a pained expression and then his head dropped limply.

Just when Shoko was about to blow out a sigh she heard a laugh. A taunting, wicked, irritating laugh. Orochimaru lifted his head and smiled hugely up at her. To say it was a little scary would be an understatement but she kept her face in check.

He slowly got to his feet and leaned heavily on the tree. With a grotesque sound he pulled the sword from his stomach.

"Kasoku Suru. I had always wanted you to show me that technique."

Kiba glanced at Kakashi who sighed and kept his gaze fixed on Orochimaru, now convinced Shoko wouldn't attack them.

"Kasoku Suru is one of her own jutsu. It accelerates every molecule in her body allowing her movement, including teleportation to become even faster. So fast that it's said to leave an after image of the caster for seconds after they've already made their move. Almost like a shadow clone." _'But…'_ he thought.

"But a jutsu like that isn't without cost." Orochimaru added with a chuckle.

Shoko tried to slow her labored breathing with little success.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that Kusanagi obeyed you, even if only for a moment. It must have remembered you from all those years ago. It matters little though…"

What Orochimaru did next was unexplainable. He gripped both his upper and lower jaw and almost as if his body were only a suit, he pulled it down over a new body and casually stepped out.

Shoko stared in shock at the man who was now completely unharmed. So this must be his own fucked up version of Tsunade's _Creation Rebirth_ technique.

She would have stared forever had a sharp pain not caused her to double over. Just then Zetsu rose halfway from the ground beside her. She winced again and straightened to look over at him.

"Is that your way of asking for help?" He inquired, amused.

She looked down at her opened hand; a small ring lay on her palm with the kanji for 'void' carved into a slate blue setting.

"Iie." She said, glancing back at Orochimaru and clenching her fist. "I got it. Let's go." She teleported as far as she could which wasn't very before walking the rest of the way to the base. She still needed to get to the okimono.

* * *

Kakashi watched Shoko vanish then turned to Orochimaru knowing full well that the man was depleted and could, as well as _would_, no longer fight.

He smiled at the Leaf-nin, "Sasuke-kun, take care of the Konoha nin. I've had a rough day. We can finish training tomorrow." His form vanished in a twister of leaves, leaving Sasuke with his old sensei and his old friends.

Kiba growled and crouched when Sasuke pushed off the tree but he calmed down when Kakashi put his arm in front of him.

"There is only one person I wish to fight." Sasuke said glancing over his shoulder at Kakashi. "I don't have time to fight anyone else." Then he too vanished.

"We can't let him go Kakashi-sensei." Hinata said quietly but determined.

"Naruto will bring him back. If anyone can, it's him." Kakashi said staring at the vacant spot Sasuke was just occupying. He blinked then smiled down at Hinata. "Plus, he didn't attack. That's a good thing Hinata-chan. Maybe there is still hope."

"We can still follow Orochimaru."

"Ah." Kakashi agreed. "He wouldn't have gotten far, we can probably catch up and in the very least find out where he's heading."

"You don't want to go after Shoko-san instead?" Hinata asked him, knowing Shoko and Kakashi were close.

"Iie. Our mission objective is to gather information on Orochimaru. Shoko will have to wait. But we have to send a message to Tsunade-sama about her. Her partner as well. I suppose you weren't able to pick up his own signature since you didn't notice him before? An ability like that could cause problems."

Hinata frowned but nodded.

Kakashi made sure to keep the message honest but added his own opinion, having witness Shoko's behavior face to face. He recommended that if Tsunade decided to retrieve the okimono, in the very least, she just hold on to it before taking any juristic measures. He only hoped she would agree.

Once the pigeon was off Kakashi and his team headed out.

* * *

"Kabuto." Orochimaru greeted his companion.

"Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto greeted in reply. "Yukimaru is with Guren-san. They are heading to the Lake of Spirits just like you asked."

"Good."

"Orochimaru-sama…are you sure you can trust that woman?"

Orochimaru chuckled softly. "It can't be helped. She's the only one who can perform the jutsu."

Kabuto pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose absently. "Is there anything else before I go?"

"There is." His master said with a smile. "I want you to go back to the laboratory in Konoha and use the jutsu I showed you to open the safe inside Kobayashi Shoko's old office. There should be an object inside. Don't take the scrolls. The object is all I need." Then he grabbed a small note from the collar of his shirt and handed it to Kabuto. "And leave this in its place."

"Understood." Kabuto said. He turned to leave but paused midstep when Orochimaru spoke once more.

"And Kabuto…quickly."

"Hai." He vanished.

Unfortunately for Shoko, her apprentice had known all along what her jutsu was and when she foolishly commented about a valuable object before their battle earlier there was no doubt in his mind what it was.

He also knew that Shoko would have had someone retrieve it before Pein could. The perfect place to hide it when contacting her afterwards would be an impossibility? It would be the first place she would look once she had an opportunity. Her safe along with her immortality jutsu.

If that weren't enough assurance, Shoko had made it obvious that she was in a hurry. She was all but jumping from foot to foot. But her partner was Zetsu. Orochimaru knew that Zetsu was close to Pein and that he was keeping a close eye on her. She would have to figure out a way to get to Konoha while with Zetsu, if she hadn't already.

It was a small possibility but even with such minute odds Orochimaru _had_ to jump at the opportunity to obtain the one weakness his sensei truly had. He would not only have her in the palm of his hand but Akatsuki as well.

* * *

**Deidara and Tobi next! =) **


	28. Twenty Six

**Twenty Six**

_In Which All Hope is Lost_

Shoko woke to the familiar sound of her partner approaching from underground. She lifted her kasa and glowered at him. She couldn't have been asleep for more than a few hours. She was about to mention that before she realized Zetsu was only half there. Not like he usually was; half in and half out of the ground but only his black half stood before her. The shock quickly left her though as she had already seen too many weird things within the span of just over a day.

"Where's your better half?" She murmured dropping the kasa back over her eyes. She really was curious and she honestly liked the white Zetsu better. Black Zetsu was always making comments about how she would taste when she was dead and staring at her like a vulture.

"**With Deidara and Tobi. They're a few hours away from the Three Tails location which is just over a mile from here.**"

"Oh? Well if they need help please tell them to hesitate to call for it."

Zetsu chuckled darkly. "**They've already asked for you to meet up with them.**"

"I'm tired, hurt and the little blonde shit called me ancient. Fuck them. Two less Akatsuki doesn't bother me."

"**If you don't want to help, you don't have to but if the two idiots get eaten then Pein will only give you double the work.**"

"Why don't you help them then Zetsu...you never _do_ anything. Use your vines and shit. I know you're one of the strongest shinobi in this shitastic organization I just don't see why you keep it all to yourself."

"**We are only required to collect information.**"

Shoko yawned loudly then stood from the ground and dusted herself off. She felt pretty miserable at the moment so the last thing she wanted to do was help those two loud mouthed morons capture the same tailed beast that had effortlessly knocked her on her ass in Mist so long ago. Grant it, it had a jinchūriki then which made it stronger. Now it was only a mindless animal with no way to grasp the concept of intelligent strategy. Basically it would be even easier to catch than the one tail was.

She wanted to get to Konoha. If she timed it just right she still had about five hours to spare before any kind of message got to Tsunade. All she needed was the go say and she could teleport straight there.

"Fine but just so you know, I'm not planning on dying till after I dissect you."

* * *

They arrived at the lake with the intention of waiting for the other two but were caught off guard when they sensed several nin in different areas all around the lake.

"Konoha nin are trying to seal the Sanbi." Zetsu's white half said after remerging with his black half.

"Should we just take him then?"

"**No. They will fail. We'll wait farther away. The other two should be here before night.**"

She didn't have that long. She had to go and retrieve the okimono as soon as possible.

"Zetsu." She called. He looked over at her questioningly. "I need to speak with Naga-Pein…Leader-sama."

Zetsu stared at her for a moment then glanced down at her hand. "**Put on the ring.**"

She did so and glanced back at him.

Zetsu did a series of one handed signs and his ring glowed. "**Repeat those signs but wait until we're far enough away for you to focus. If we're attacked, we are not helping you.**"

"Che."

A few miles from the lake, Shoko sat in the lotus position atop a small boulder.

"If you try to eat me while my mind is elsewhere…I'll know."

"**We'll wait for you to die before we do such a thing. We aren't an animal.**"

Shoko sighed and repeated the signs, her eyes closed while focusing on Pein's desk in Rain.

* * *

When she opened her eyes she was in his office, the rain falling in sheets beyond the large mouth shaped perched he was currently standing on.

She shifted her mismatched gaze to the wall where Konan usually stood while she was there and narrowed her eyes at the two men who stood there instead.

Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame.

"You recovered the ring."

Her eyes flickered back to Pein who had turned to address her.

"Is there something wrong, Kobayashi?" He continued after catching her glare.

"I need to retrieve a scroll from beneath Konoha."

"Can it wait until after the Three Tails is captured?"

"Iie. The two morons you sent are still hours away and I'm stuck at the lake with Zetsu who may or may not be trying to eat me while I'm here." Kisame snickered in the background. "I need to get it now. I can make it there and back within all of ten minutes and so can Zetsu."

Pein narrowed his eyes only a fraction. It was the most dramatic change in expression she had witnessed yet. "Can I ask why you are in such a hurry?"

"The scroll contains the jutsu you wanted… I have to study it and I'm not the only one who knows where it is. While I was battling Orochimaru Leaf-nin appeared. The Hokage will send people to retrieve the scroll once she receives the message confirming that I've switched sides." This was all very true and it was sure to work in her advantage.

"Alright. Make it five and do not leave Zetsu."

"Wakarimashita." Before she dispelled the jutsu she shot another glare at Kisame for good measure. He only grinned a pointy toothed grin at her and waved. She snarled at him a second before her projection vanished.

* * *

Minutes later Shoko and Zetsu were perched on a branch in the forests of Fire Country. Shoko froze.

"Shall we kill them then?" Zetsu said. He had sensed the ANBU guarding the second entrance to the labs as well.

"They shouldn't even be there." She finially got out. Tsuande had gotten the message. It was too late.

But…what if she hadn't yet? What if Fujiki had just told her about the second entrance to insure the place was guarded at all times?

"Zetsu I need a favor." Zetsu turned to her. "Please make a distraction out here." She said quickly while trying hard to summon up her largest puppy eyes. Zetsu only stared blankly. "There will be more inside. I can't fight them all in the tunnels. They will collapse."

"That isn't our problem."

"Zetsu, if we're going to get along then you're going to have to do something besides the flattering comments on eating me." Zetsu raised a brow. "And just so you know, if you're planning to wait until I'm dead then you're just gonna be left with a pile of bones."

He frowned. "Are you telling us that if we want to eat you then we have to do it while you're alive?"

Her lips twitched and she shook her head. "If I weren't in such a horrific situation right now I would have a field day with that." Zetsu only continued to stare. "I need a distraction. A big one but with no casualties. Please Daisy?"

"Make it quick. We dislike helping the weak."

Her brow twitched but she choose to ignore the jib and flashed him a small smile.

"How do you conceal your precense so well?" She asked before leaving.

"**Skill**." He answered with narrowed eyes.

"I was only asking since you seemed to be in such a giving mood."

He said nothing so she sighed and took position on the opposite side of the cave entrance. She would ask him again later.

Moments later there was a large explosion several meters into the forest. The ground trembled at her feet and she looked to the cave.

About four squads of ANBU dashed away and toward the loud noise.

"Yes. Go and see what on earth that could be." She whispered. It was obvious ROOT was guarding. Had it been Tsuande's ANBU then they only would have sent one team, knowing it had to be a distraction of some kind.

She vanished and appeared inside her office. It was a huge risk, knowing they could have set more traps but usually ANBU didn't do anything like that until they were relieved from guarding a place.

She bent down and flew through a few hand signs, the floor disappeared and she quickly opened the safe.

* * *

The floor trembled and dust trickled from the stoney walls around them.

"What was that?" Asuma mumbled from his seat inside the outer lab ward. He and Shikamaru were supposed to be guarding Shoko's office but after an hour they decided to switch with a couple ANBU for new surroundings.

Shikamaru furrowed his brows as the majority of ANBU brushed past them.

"What are they doing? It was a loud explostion near a guarded entrance. How careless could they be?"

Asuma frowned and looked at Shikamaru before they both stood and took off toward Shoko's unguarded office.

* * *

"No…" She whispered, staring into the almost empty safe. She heard swift footfalls and quickly stood, her panicked expression melting into a carefree look.

Shikamaru burst through the door first but was forced to quickly sidestep to avoid a kunai thrown at his head. It buried itself into the door frame inches from his face.

Asuma drew his own trench blades and lite them with chakra, glaring at the intruder who merley stood her ground with a playful smile.

"Didn't I say before, _not _to run through this place. There could be traps anywhere."

"Sho." Shikamaru growled.

"Tsuande sure was quick to take back the okimono, wasn't she? Not even a chance for an explaination or anything." She commented nonchalantly.

Asuma narrowed his eyes and a crease appeared between his brows in confusion. "What are you talking about? Tsuande didn't take it…"

She stared at him in silence.

"Didn't you contact that Kabuto guy and tell him where it was?" Shikamaru asked her with a scowl.

"Kabuto?"

"Orochimaru's medic…" Asuma added.

This time she did panic. Her jaw dropped and she grabbed the edge of her old desk for balance since her knees weren't doing the job.

"Orochimaru…" She clenched her teeth as she thought of all the things he could do with her soul. He was a genius. He could do anything. "Tch…"

How did he know though?

She reached into her cloak and Shikamaru tensed but relaxed slightly when she pulled out a small note.

She had seen it in the safe but hadn't a chance to read it before Shikamaru came barreling through the door.

'How far can a fox run into the woods?'

When he was just a young boy they had made a kind of game out of riddles. He was so keen that he could get every one she had ever asked... except the one. 'How far can a fox run into the woods?'

A taunt? Bastard.

No, who cared? He was going to kill her! Torture her…anything he wanted. She would rather Nagato have taken it. Oh, she had been so foolish. None of this would have happened if she hadn't made that insignificant comment to Orochimaru during their fight. He was no idiot.

"Kuso." She hissed.

It didn't take a genius like Shikamaru to understand that Shoko was not working with Orochimaru but he somehow was able to find and take the okimono. He could kill her whenever he wanted or use it as leverage somehow.

"Something wrong?" Zetsu said, rising from the ground behind her.

She was facing Asuma and Shikamaru so only they could see her surprise when he spoke.

She quickly let go of the desk and shook her head. "Iie."

Zetsu glared at her. She couldn't be bothered with the death glares from everyone though. She was still in her own world, imagining everything he could do.

"Iie. It's fine. I've got the scroll." The scroll. The stupid fucking scroll. She needed her soul!

She couldn't tell Zetsu, that would cause too many problems and what could Nagato do? Sure he could probably kill Orochimaru but not before Orochimaru crushed the fragile figurine. Why hadn't she sealed it into something like diamond…or metal even. An ivory decoration? She was so ignorant.

She scowled at that and turned to her desk. There were papers scattered atop it as well as scrolls. Nosy ANBU. She roughly brushed her hands over the desktop causing papers to fly.

"I'm going to die." She breathed to herself.

No one spoke.

"I'm going to die..." She repeated. Now that she was truly faced with it, she realized she was afraid. She'd been alive for so long that the thought of dying was…just irrational. She wasn't prepared for it.

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply before looking around at the shinobi within the room. No one said anything but one look at Asuma and Shikamaru said that they were ready to kill anything wearing black and red. Zetsu on the other hand just stood behind her with a look that said he could think of a million other places he'd rather be.

She knew they needed to leave but she almost felt safe in this office. As if the moment she stepped outside the labs, reality would kick in and every step she took was a step toward non existence. But she knew, it was only a matter of time now.

She went to push off the desk but realized she was frozen in place by Shikamaru.

Shoko blew out a frustrated breath and glanced over at him. He was leaning casually in the doorway his face expectant as if to say 'What? Can't move?'

"Didn't we go through this already?" Shoko asked irritated. She let her lightning chakra flow from her feet into the floor and to the nearest set of wires before flaring it. Nothing happened. With much effort she raised her head to look at the ceiling. The bulbs were all gone save for the single lamp in the corner of the room.

"We did." Shikamaru said. "And I didn't forget either."

"Shoko…Zetsu, I take it?" Asuma began "You're both under arrest under orders of the-

"Asuma." Shoko interrupted. "Don't ever underestimate the lengths I'll go through to stay out of Konoha's prison." Blue electricity engulfed her body, lighting up the floor around her enough to cancel Shikamaru's jutsu. She side stepped between his shadow and Zetsu allowing Zetsu to vanish into the floor. Then she threw an obvious glance toward the wall beside Shikamaru before vanishing herself.

"It doesn't matter." Asuma said with a frown. "Apparently you're gonna die anyway"

Shikamaru sighed and looked over at his sensei for a moment before looking at the wall where Shoko had glanced before escaping.

The kunai that was stuck in the door frame…the one she had thrown at him. No, she hadn't thrown it at him; she had thrown it at the frame. Common sense told him that.

He gripped the thin hilt and yanked it from the wood.

"Asuma…" Asuma glanced over at his student. "Look."

Shikamaru walked over to the lamp in the corner of the room and held the kunai to the light.

A cloud was carved into the smooth plate of the blade, a clear line drawn through it.

"This is it. She wants us to know she's not on their side like we thought." Shikamaru said, nodding to himself.

"She disobeyed orders. She had a chance to come home and chose to stay." Asuma said leaving the room. "She's an enemy and she needs to be caught."

"Are you gonna keep on with that act or are you gonna talk to me?" Shikamaru asked, appearing behind him. He glanced over his shoulder at his old student before stopping and turning around.

He could tell this wasn't going to go away unless he cleared it up now.

"I don't know what's got you and Ino thinking that there was more to it than there really was but you both have more important things to worry about."

"I'm not an idiot. And Ino can see that kind of thing from a mile away. You can talk to me Asuma. I know you don't want her to die and you probably wouldn't be okay with her going back to prison."

Asuma grabbed a pack of cigarettes and pulled one out. "No, I wouldn't." He agreed. "But Kobayashi Shoko is the hardest person I've ever met, to trust. One second she's throwing herself in front of energy blasts from the Kyuubi for a bunch of brats that she claims she doesn't even like. Then the next she's taking off and joining up with Akatsuki. She's always been like that, for as long as I could remember. I can handle being civil with her…Shikamaru, we just confronted two Akatsuki. Why are you trying to get me to talk about my feelings?" He smirked down at his student.

"Heh." Shikamaru shook his head. "We only saw _one _Akatsuki. If you don't wanna admit it to me then don't. I'm only sayin that if you really care about her like I know you do, then stop trying to convince yourself that she's the enemy and do something to help her or she's gonna die and then it'll be too late."

* * *

She stumbled and caught herself on a tree, her mind was too far away to be bothered with her surroundings.

She let go of the tree and walked a few steps only to trip straight into an annoyed looking Zetsu.

She blinked and stepped back.

"Let us see the scroll."

She wordlessly pulled it from her cloak and showed him. He reached out to grab it but she moved it out of his reach.

"You saw it." She said. "Come on."

"**That's not all you were after…**"

"How perceptive." She deadpanned, no longer caring that he knew she had lied.

"Was the object that contains your soul there as well?"

"No…it's gone."

"Where?"

She whipped around and glared at him but instead of the indifferent expression she was expecting he actually looked curious and maybe a little concerned. She knew it was because her soul wasn't in his boss's possession therefore granting someone beside Pein the ability to manipulate her. There was no personal concern about it. Why would he give a rat's ass about his partner. He'd only worked with her a few days after all and in that time all they had done was constantly, though subtely, compete over who was faster.

"Go to hell Zetsu." Vines erupted from the ground beneath her but she couldn't bring herself to move or even care. They wrapped around her and squeezed. She winced but made no move to teleport away. But just as quickly as they appeared they disappeared.

She fell to her hands and knees and vaguely noticed Zetsu's feet move into her line of sight as he stood over her. "How pitiful." He commented as if staring down at an emaciated kitten. "Pein will get the answer out of you if you do decide against telling us of your own free will." He vanished into the earth and Shoko remained on the ground, wallowing in self pity and cursing herself for her behavior. She didn't cry though. In the very least, she would not cry. She was too old for that kind of thing anyway.

After a few more minutes of self loathing she pushed herself back up and dusted off before dragging her feet as slowly as possible back towards the lake. She didn't care anymore if Nagato was upset about her taking too long. She just _didn't care_. The only thing she could force herself to focus on was helping Naruto while she could.

Sooner or later though-if she didn't die- she was going to have to find Orochimaru and find out what it was he wanted from her.

She tried to cheer herself up with the thought of Sasuke killing Orochimaru. If he was going to do it then it needed to be soon, not just for her sake but his own as well.

She still couldn't understand how he knew what she was talking about. How had he put it together? There was no giveaway in that one sentence. Nothing.

She shook her thoughts from her head and dragged herself back toward the lake.

* * *

She appeared at the edge of the murky lake, the moonlight shone down on its placid service. If she hadn't been able to sense the monster lurking below she would say Konoha had sealed it.

"I don't see why we had to wait for you, yeah." Came a voice from behind her. She didn't bother turning around, she just shrugged and stared at the lake. "What's wrong bachan? Are you afraid of the overgrown turtle?"

"Don't be so mean to her, Sempai!" She narrowed her eyes. That man. His chakra signature told a completely different story than his personality.

"Let's get this over with before I fucking kill you instead." She said darkly.

"Do not _kill_ anything." Zetsu said from beside her. "Incapacitate it and bring it back to the base."

"Oh shut up Zetsu." She growled then stepped out onto the surface of the water and readied herself to dash toward the center of the lake.

"W-w-wait. Doesn't the pretty lady want to know what the monster does first?" Tobi asked her.

"I already know what it does."

"Heh" Deidara produced a massive bird from a small bit of clay then jumped onto it. Any other day Shoko would have been intrigued but currently her mind was elsewhere.

"Hey Hey Hey! Sempai, didn't you hear the story about the hallucinations?" Tobi continued.

"Who do you think you're speaking too? Don't underestimate my art, yeah." He said over his shoulder before flying out towards the center of the lake.

"Huuhh. He's got to work on his temper." Tobi said shaking his head.

Shoko stopped and straightened to watch Deidara unload half his arsenal onto the lake. When it exploded Shoko shielded her face from the spray of water then dropped her arm to watch the huge turtle rise to the service. He looked pissed.

"So this is Sanbi." Zetsu commented with a lopsided smile.

"I think we should leave it to Senpai." Tobi said panicked. He grabbed Shoko by the arm to tug her away and she grasped his wrist then turned to glare at the masked man.

"How did someone like you even get into Akatsuki?" She asked him.

"Um…well…" He laughed nervously as she pulled his hand off her arm and dropped it.

"Shut up. I didn't really wanna know." She snapped but immediately felt guilty when he dropped his head and shuffled away. She turned back to the lake when the turtle let out a huge roar.

"Tobi!" Deidara yelled from his spot just above the surface of the water several meters from the monster. Tobi appeared beside him and they exchanged a few words. Tobi looked panicked and started shaking his head vigorously before Deidara took off and the turtle turned on Tobi.

He started running and yelling about how Kisame would have been better for the job before he was smacked by one of its tails and vanished into the lake.

Shoko watched amused before Tobi leapt from the water and landed beside them. The turtle charged the three of them.

Shoko laughed shortly and closed her eyes allowing the coldness to take over her right eye. The sky darkened and lightning crackled through the clouds.

When she opened her eyes she kept the black one covered with her hand while she used her other hand to make a few signs.

"Raiton: Raijin" At that, streaks of lightning tore through the sky and struck the lake around the Three Tails. After the single strike to the lake, the lightning vanished but the sky remained darkened. She uncovered her eye once she was sure it was completely back to normal.

The turtle bobbed silently in the center of the lake.

She had to admit, she had missed using her kekke genkai but with her new found lack of self preservation she could use it to her hearts content. She knew it was a bad idea but just like with everything else, she couldn't make herself care.

"Heh. I'm not carryin it." She said rudely then turned away from them.

"Wooooow! Senpai, did you see that?" Tobi called to Deidara who was staring down at the turtle as if willing it to snap out of its shock.

"**You shouldn't use that**." Zetsu said. Shoko turned on her heel to face him.

"It didn't kill it. You wanted it incapacitated. It's incapacitated. You're never satisfied."

"We meant we know that you shouldn't use that technique." He corrected, not really interested in the conversation.

"It doesn't really matter anymore does it?" She said, knowing he would understand what she meant.

"Traveling with you has been a great trial of patience for me but I'm starting to get tired of your self-pity."

She huffed and turned away.

"Miss?"

"Do not call me that!" She snarled at Tobi.

"O-Okay." He said, throwing his hands up in surrender with a small whimper. "Shoko...chan?" He asked hesitantly.

She turned a glare on him but remained silent, waiting for him to speak. "Want to talk to Tobi? He'll make you feel better. You can tell him _all_ your problems…then Tobi can make you laugh if you want!" He had started out shyly but as he went on he quickly seemed to forget how scary he thought she was and became his normal excited self.

"No." She said shortly but watched his reaction.

He slumped in defeat and muttered an apology before turning to leave but was stopped when a delicate hand reached out and grabbed his arm gently. He turned back around to face her.

If only she could see his face. Then maybe she could understand why. Why was he the way he was? She shouldn't be so suspicious. After all every member of this organization was a total odd ball. Maybe he was the way he was…just because. Maybe it was Shoko's scientific side that automatically had her thinking too far into things that probably didn't require hard thought.

Out of all of them, Tobi seemed like the only one she could actually stand once she got around the fact that he had the mental capacity of a four year old. He might even be better company than emotionless Konan.

"Gomen." She said quietly and let him go, her hand dropping to her side.

"Tobi. Move your ass before this thing wakes up, yeah!" Deidara called from above, were he had two large clay birds toting the humungous beast.

"We're going to the closest base to prepare for the extraction." Zetsu said but he had directed it at her in the form of an order.

Her brow twitched and she spun back around to yell at him for being bossy but he was already gone.

She growled and kicked the dirt hoping that had somehow effected him but knowing she was only making herself look like a moron.

"Thank you Tobi." She flashed him a smile. "I'll be fine though." Then she vanished.

If she was going to be part of the extraction she needed to get sleep. As it was now she wouldn't be able to hold her own against a citizen of Otafuku Gai. But if she wanted to work on the extraction jutsu then she needed to be part of it to see how it worked. It was just lucky that there was no jinchūriki for the Sanbi, though she couldn't say she would mind much if Yagura had been around for this.


	29. Author's Note

So I've decided to continue this fic. I'm currently editing the next chapter so it should be out soon. Tomorrow maybe? I apologize to my readers for the lack of updates! I sort of became discouraged with the lack of reviews; _that _and I started reading _The Count of Monte Cristo_ for the third time and was hooked again!

* * *

I also have a few other fics I'm writing/outlining.

There's _Ringo_ which is already up on my fic section it's basically about the life of an ANBU in the Rookie Nine gen. This fic is written in a way that doesn't completely follow the manga, unlike most of my other fics. However, it's still a Naruto based world with Naruto based events.

There's another Naruto fic I'm working on called _Sabotage._ I'm currently reading up on numerous coup d'états throughout history in order to put together what I believe could be an awesome fic. It's about a young captain who guards the Fire Country Daimyo while simultaneously staging what would be one of Fire Countries largest and most threatening coups. I know, I know! My main char is a villain! But hear me out! Like most other villain's there is more to her than what initially meets the eye. Also the gang plays a big part (Team Kaka as well as many others including my favorite Naruto character which many of my readers could probably guess. Maddy! =P Fic Warning: Madara will, more than likely, make an appearance in all of my Naruto fics so if you don't like him; gomen!)

As far as Naruto fics go, those are my current other two.

Now! I also have a Reborn fic I'm working on. If you haven't watched Katekyo Hitman Reborn, you should stop reading this right now…go to and watch it because I'd have to say, considering it has a bunch of Italian Mafioso walking around speaking Japanese, it's one of the best anime evs! Anyway…my Reborn fic is centered mostly around an OC (I like creating my own characters if you haven't noticed.) She's an Arcobaleno who, for several years, has been incarcerated in the underwater section of Vendicare. Needless to say she's out now. As for my story line (just as most of my story lines go) it follows the manga with the exception of my OC and her parts. Things change of course as the story continues as her part becomes bigger or, should I say; is realized.

I also have a Bleach fic which I've recently gone back to writing. I've almost completed the entire fic (100,000+ wds) as I have been writing this fic for almost a year now. I originally had it posted but decided against keeping it up since I had gotten hooked on writing _Sempiternal_ and knew I wouldn't be able to find time to update _Hightail _(My Bleach fic), even though it wouldn't be hard since most of it is written already. It's about a Vizard who abandoned her comrades a good 60 years before the plot of the story (30-40 or so years after escaping SS.) Upon her return she is forced to deal with being shunned by her friends as well as face her own demons. She befriends Ichigo and so he plays a large role in the fic. This is around the time the Espada begin showing up as well. It's one of my best fics as far as the scenes go. The fight scenes own! As well as random funny scenes and tragic scenes. Lots of suspense and cliff hangers! Teehee.

* * *

I do plan to post the bio's of all of my characters as well as short summaries of my fics in the fic section of my profile. This way, you can decide whether or not you would be interested in reading any of them instead of skimming through the fic itself. I do that alot with other stories.

* * *

Last but not least, I'm searching for a beta. You're job would really just to check over my rough draft before I post and collaborate with yours truly over the plot lines since a lot of the time I find myself suffering from writer's block. Also, I need you to slap me across the face if you notice me going back to the He/She sentence starters. If you haven't noticed I often start sentences out with one of those two words in my story and damnit! I need to stop that. I imagine it's because I haven't made it a priority to show what the person is thinking at the time, mostly I tend to write about what they're doing. If that makes sense then maybe you should be my beta. :D

Sayonara!

WriteroftehStories


	30. Twenty Seven

**Twenty Seven**

_Feeling Safe_

"You're late." Nagato's projection addressed Shoko's projection when she appeared in her position inside the cave.

Zetsu turned to her and she couldn't make out his mouth but she knew he was grinning at her getting reprimanded.

"I…there was an explosion in the laboratory and then Zetsu didn't bother coming to check on me so I just woke up on the floor." She said glaring at Zetsu.

Silence.

"What an interesting excuse." Nagato said. "Zetsu says he's shown you the jutsu, can you perform it?"

"Ah."

"Good." He paused and looked as if he wanted to ask something else but decided against it.

The jutsu took two days to complete. Luckily for Shoko it wasn't nearly as strenuous on the body as sealed tailed beasts were.

"The sealing is complete. You're all dismissed. Kobayashi, stay."

Itachi's projection vanished followed quickly by Kisame and then Konan, leaving Nagato, Zetsu and Shoko's projections as well as the real Deidara and Tobi.

"Zetsu tells me you've not been truthful."

"No." She shrugged, trying to seem uncalus. "I haven't."

"Do you want to tell me what it is I want to know or am I going to have to make you?"

Her mismatched eyes flew to his form and she growled quietly at him.

He stayed silent as if giving her one last chance to answer him.

She wasn't sure if he really would travel all the way to the Hot Springs just to 'make her' but she decided it didn't really matter either way.

"It's gone. The object that you wanted. I lied and now it's…it's gone." She cursed under her breath remembering everything that happened days ago.

"Who has taken it?"

"I don't know." They stared each other down for a few moments. "I…don't…know."

She wanted to end this jutsu and sleep for a week. She felt like she might pass out at any moment but she was trying like hell to at least appear unaffected.

"We will finish this conversation when you return." He said with a sigh.

In other words, he'll get it out of her physically since apparently she felt she could be bolder when she was a country over.

Shoko opened her eyes, canceling the jutsu.

"Owwww." She whined, cracking her back before falling backwards and closing her eyes. She wasn't dead yet which was a great sign but that only opened up other possibilities. Either Orochimaru was dead and Kabuto wasn't interested in the okimono or Orochimaru was currently cooking up some fantastic jutsu that he could use on it just to torture her _or_ he wanted something from her.

Either way, she was going to sleep.

If death came then there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it so she might as well rest up.

Her eyes fluttered open and she glanced around at the empty laboratory.

She was still alive so that was good news.

How long had she been asleep? Hours? Days?

She stretched a painful stretch and slowly stood from the floor promising her poor neglected body that she would find a bed to sleep on the next time she was able.

She stumbled into the bathroom and slammed the door before turning on the hot water and stripping away her clothes.

Briefly, she wondered if Zetsu could see her when she bathed but then quickly brushed the thought aside. She doubted he was interested in anything but gnawing on dead things and if he was…she shrugged…not really caring.

She sighed and sunk lower into the tub but then jumped at the sound of a knock.

"Unless you've come to apologize then, go…away…Zetsu."

"Eh, Tobi-san just came to bring you clothes like Senpai asked him to."

Her eyes shot open and she covered herself on impulse.

"Thank you, Tobi." She said then scooted close to the side of the tub and peeked over the edge. "You can come in." She said.

The door creaked open and Tobi stumbled in backwards so as to not invade her privacy. She laughed at him when he slipped on the wet floor.

"Owe Owe Owe…" He whined then leapt to his feet again. "Don't worry Tobi's fine!" Then he placed her clothes on the sink counter and made for the door as quickly as possible.

"Tobi." He stopped and turned his head slightly as if waiting for her to go on. "How long was I asleep?"

"Um…Tobi got here yesterday but it took a day and a half to walk because Deidara-sempai wouldn't let me ride on his art sooo…" He started silently counting on his fingers and Shoko raised her brows then snorted.

"Okay, thanks. What time is it?"

"Almost midnight."

Great, now her sleeping was going to be off for days.

She sighed, "Thanks."

He took that as a dismissal and started for the door again.

"Tobi."

"Yes? Shoko-chan?"

She realized there was really nothing else to say but she wanted company. The past two weeks had been horrible and ended with everyone either wanting to use her or kill her. The thought of someone, anyone actually being nice to her was too tempting to pass up. And Tobi was the perfect companion. He was like an annoying puppy that made up for the aggravation by being adorable.

Maybe he was where she needed to start if she wanted to destroy this organization.

"Will you stay?" She asked. He stood still for a few seconds before nodding his head vigorously then glancing around and finding a spot to sit all the while never once making a move to look or even glimpse at her. She grinned.

"How did you come to be a member?"

"Zetsu-san saved Tobi when I had nowhere to go. Zetsu-san brought me here and Leader-sama let Tobi stay. He's a very nice man."

Nice man her ass.

"Where are you from? You don't wear a symbol."

"Tobi doesn't remember."

"Oh?"

He shook his head several times.

"Can Tobi ask you something?"

"Ah." She said, leaning her head to the side to rest her cheek on the edge of the tub.

"Why is Shoko-chan here?"

"To save the world." She said with a slight smirk. "Just like Leader-sama wants." Even though it was in no way going to be the same method. "The same as every other member." She added just in case her previous statement was suspicious but she had a feeling nothing was suspicious to Tobi who would befriend someone as malicious as Nagato.

Tobi nodded at that. It was quiet for a while after that and Shoko stared at the twitching Akatsuki in amusement. It was obvious he was dying to climb a curtain or something.

"Um…"

"Hmmm?" Shoko drawled.

"Why is Shoko-chan so…bad-tempered sometimes?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I'm not mean." She said angrily.

"Okie."

"What, like with your senpai? He's a fucking-

She stopped herself and rethought a new version.

"Deidara is a fool." She said with a nod. "He needs to learn some respect."

"Senpai can be mean sometimes." Tobi agreed quietly. "He doesn't realize it though. Is Shoko-chan really one hundred years old?" He said. She raised a brow at his ability to completely change the topic without so much as a seconds notice.

"No I'm not one hundred." She said. "I'm…uh." She frowned and thought for a moment. She hadn't exactly been able to keep track of that while chained up for so long. Even so, she never really cared to count. "90-something."

"Tobi thinks you look beautiful for your age either way."

She laughed. "Thank you."

Deciding she should probably jump out before she got pruney she stood up.

At the sound of water splashing Tobi leapt to his feet and reached over for the towel then thrust it at her. She took it with a smirk and wrapped it around herself. When she looked up Tobi was gone.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Deidara asked Shoko would was currently standing ontop of the kitchen counter and rummaging through the highest cabinet.

"Where's the pocky and don't tell me there is none. Every establishment has pocky, you just have to search for it."

He laughed and shook his head. "I don't think there is any and if there's pocky in the farthest depths of the highest cabinet then I wouldn't recommend eating it."

She stopped and glanced over at him. "Why not?"

"Uh because it's probably gone bad."

"Nonsense. That stuff doesn't have expiration dates." She snorted returning to her rummaging.

He made a disgusted face with that thought and walked to the counter to grab an apple.

She glanced over her shoulder again and glimpsed the blonde bomber leaning with an elbow on the counter and staring directly at her ass.

He knew she could see him but he made no move to cover it up.

Her lips twitched and she turned back around to continue her search only this time she maneuvered so that her back was facing him completely.

"See something you like?" She asked and heard him huff. "No? Well that's too bad, pocky was my first choice but since there is none I could go for a quickie."

Deidara's smirk widened but he shook his head and turned around to put both elbows on the counter deciding that it was definitely some kind of harpy trap and it would be best not to tempt himself anymore.

She stopped her search and sat on the counter. She couldn't really stare at his ass since he was wearing his robe but she assumed it wasn't an eye sore since the man was, she had to admit, gorgeous.

He glanced over his shoulder at her and she raised her brows at him but said nothing.

"So you were only teasing me then?" She prodded. "You should know. I get all hot when I notice a man staring like that. Especially when I haven't had any in so long."

He stopped chewing and swallowed hard but turned back around to ignore her.

She snickered and left the kitchen to go back to the lab and back to her work.

* * *

Shoko started thinking about Asuma. The entire time she had been gone she had forced him out of her mind knowing he would be a huge distraction but now things were different. Her fate wasn't really up to her anymore. She could be dead any day now and she hated that the man she loved was not only loving someone else, now he had to hate her even more.

How tragic.

She sat at the paper and scroll cluttered desk and laid her head on the cool surface.

"Shimatta." She groaned and banged her head on the desk a few times.

Whether she knocked herself out or just fell asleep she couldn't remember but the next thing she knew a door was slammed open and Tobi barreled into the lab.

"Eh? T-Tobi!" She stood and shook her hands in a calming motion, eyeing all of her fragile glass and the priceless concoctions she had spent hours working on.

Despite his wobbly exuberance he agilely avoided knocking over all of her precious work as he skipped to her desk and handed her a piece of paper.

"Tobi is a good boy!" He sang.

She sighed in relief and slumped back down into her chair then scowled up at him and snatched the paper.

"Tobi found this outside your door so he wanted to return it! It must have fallen out of your pocket."

She frowned up at him then looked back down at the paper, opening it.

'How far can a fox run into the woods?'

"Kk..." She clenched her teeth and scowled at the paper. The pompous bastard. Where did he get the audacity to taunt her, _her_! She cursed the numerous times she had spared his life and promised herself she wouldn't make that mistake again. She couldn't. Not now that he held her life in his hands, literally.

Her eyes narrowed and she balled the small note up, tossing it across the room. Tobi's face followed its path then looked back at her.

"Thank you Tobi." She said without looking back up from her work.

"Did Tobi make Shoko-chan angry?"

"No." She replied running a hand down her face tiredly. She glanced up at him. For some reason he seemed calmer when he spoke to her than he did when Deidara was around or even Zetsu for that matter.

"How far?" He asked.

The corner of her mouth twitched upwards and she shook her head. Of course the brat had read the note. It must have been too tempting for him. "Halfway. A fox can only run halfway into the woods. The rest of the way, he's running out." She answered quietly. She wondered is Orochimaru ever figured it out. She had never told him the answer. Maybe he had stolen her soul to get the answer. She laughed at that.

"Ah, I don't get it."

"That's why I like you." She winked at him.

He stared down at her for a few moments before he started leaping around and praising the heavens over Shoko's proclaimed love.

"W-wait…I didn't say that!"

"Does Shoko-chan have a boyfriend?"

She stared wide eyed at him for a second then shook herself back to reality. No she didn't have a boyfriend. The man she wanted was already taken. That was life though. The good ones were always taken or dead.

"No."

"Ohhh? Would Shoko-chan go on a date with Tobi then!"

She snorted. "I don't have time for dates. And I'm too old. The time for _love_ has long passed."

"Shoko-chan is only as old as she feels!"

"Well then I'm a lot older than I thought." She said with a smirk but it melted into a smile. "Tobi, if I had time, I would go on a _date_ with you but…I have to finish this and still find time to work on my other jutsu."

"What jutsu is Shoko-chan working on? Maybe Tobi can help."

She looked back down at all of her chicken scratch which at the moment didn't mean a damn thing in her mind. She couldn't even read half of it.

Shoko sighed. "I thought I could create a more advanced version of Genryū Kyū Fūjin but it looks like Nagat- Pein's is as advanced as it gets. I…" She huffed a small humorless laugh. "I can't even read this shit." She said brushing it out of her sight then laying her head down. "Hopeless."

She cracked an eye open when Tobi reached over and gently brushed away a lock of hair that had fallen onto her face.

He didn't say anything, he just brushed away her hair then caressed her cheek. It was completely unlike him. When he went to pull back his hand she grabbed his wrist and lifted her head to lean into his touch.

She wished she could see his face just once. Something about him. Something about his chakra signature…or his presence made her feel safe. She hadn't felt safe with anyone. Not since Izuna- no- not since Madara…

On their own accord, her eyes narrowed as she looked Tobi in the eye, mentally willing his mask to disintigrate. Without realizing what she was doing her grip tightened on his wrist. Could this be...of course it couldn't...he couldn't be-


End file.
